Walking Through Walls
by DakotaLyon
Summary: Special Agent Charlotte Anderson is given an offer. An offer from Nick Fury to leave her job at the FBI to go work for SHIELD. Charlotte is unsure about the offer because she doesn't know if SHIELD wants to use her special "skill" for the wrong reasons. But Agent Clint Barton just might be able to change her mind. Clint Barton/OC because there just aren't enough! Remain incompleted
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first Avengers fanfic. I do not own the characters from the Avengers. I only own Charlie! Enjoy and review. And I don't mind good or bad criticism. If anything, it makes me try harder to become a better writer! **_

It was a day like any other for Charlotte Anderson. She woke to the annoying sound of her alarm and did her morning ritual before heading off to the J, Edgar Hoover building in downtown D.C. She scraped her curly dark brown hair in a messy bun with curls falling out and laying against her temples. Charlotte, Charlie for short, dressed in a white blouse, black pant suit and 4 inch black heals. When you've worked for the FBI for as long as Charlie has, you learn how to chase down the bad guys in heals.

She stuffed her laptop and other items into her messenger bag, grabbed her portable coffee cup and left her apartment on time. It was a beautiful day in D.C. so Charlie decided to walk to work instead of taking her Silver 2010 Mazda 3. She also had a motorcycle but that stayed tucked away for nights of much needed stress relief. She walked to work wondering what new case awaited her. She got to J. Edgar around nine thirty.

She took the elevator to the fourth floor and made her way to her office. The familiar sounds of ringing phones, shuffling of papers and FBI chatter filled the air around her. She maneuvered through the many agents and their desks.

Charlie reached her office and plopped down on the comfy leather chair behind her desk. She set her coffee down and set her laptop up. She looked up just as Harper, her go-to and sometimes partner in the field, walked through the door. She had a couple manila folders in her hand and Charlie knew that meant only one thing. Paper work. Charlie frowned and Harper gave a small laugh.

"I know. I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not the one calling the shots." She said placing the folders on Charlie's desk. Charlie sneered at them, hoping they would burst into flames if she just stared at them. Harper laughed again.

"Charlie. Staring at them won't make them magically disappear."

"Actually, I was hoping that they would combust into flames." She said in a less than enthusiastic voice.

"Oh my. Do you think horrible thoughts like that every day?"

"My dreams are even worse." Harper grinned and took a seat on the corner of Charlie's desk.

"So," she began. "Have any good hook-ups this weekend?"

"Harper!" Charlie exclaimed, eyes widening.

"What? You have been so cranky ever since that recent case you worked on. That Daniel Crane case." Charlie shuddered at the mention of the name. That case had been less than successful. "You need to loosen up. You need to get laid." Charlie almost choked on her coffee.

"Harper!" She exclaimed again and began coughing uncontrollably. She got it under control and cleared her throat. "What I need is to start this paper work and for you to leave my love life alone." Charlie glared at Harper who only grinned right back. Finally Harper rolled her eyes and stood.

"Okay fine! No problem, Boss. But I mean, I know some guys that would definitely…"

"Oh God, Harper!" Charlie said with an exasperated look. Harper put her hands up in defeat. There was a light knock on the open door and both women looked over.

"Excuse me, Special Agent Anderson?" Agent Ralph Smith stood in the doorway.

"Yes?" Charlie replied, looking up at him with chocolate brown eyes, folding her hands on her desk.

"There are two men here to see you. They said they are here to talk to you about urgent matters." Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"Did they say what kind of 'urgent matters'?"

"Uhh, no."

Charlie sighed. "Okay. Then send them in." Charlie looked down and opened one of the manila folders. The familiar face of a young boy stared back at her. Charlie closed the folder, unable to look at his face any longer.

"Well actually, they insisted on talking to you in an interrogation room." Charlie looked at Agent Smith and furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

"Well then, take me to these mysterious men." Charlie got up and followed Smith, leaving Harper in her office.

"I should warn you," Smith said. "The one guy's quite a character. Guess he didn't get the memo that pirates have swapped eye patches out for machine guns." They stopped outside of interrogation room 3.

"I can take it from here. Thank you Agent Smith." He gave her a small nod and then walked away. Charlie smoothed out the wrinkles in her suit and walked into the room. The first thing she saw was the eye patch. Smith wasn't kidding.

Two men stood as she walked into the room. The man who seemed to have more authority was the one with the eye patch. The other man was young, maybe a bit older than herself, with sandy blonde hair cut short and dressed in black like his predecessor. He was also quite handsome. Charlie kept it professional and looked at Patchy. She extended her hand and he shook it.

"Special Agent Charlotte Anderson. Word is you need help with some urgent matters Mr…"

"Fury. Nick Fury. This is Agent Clint Barton." He said, indicating the other man. Charlie acknowledged him with a slight nod of her head which was returned. "I am the director of SHIELD or otherwise known as,"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division." Charlie said finishing his sentence. "Yeah, I know. Everyone does, ever since your team, The Avengers, helped with the," Charlie had trouble saying the last few words. She cleared her throat. "alien invasion in New York."

"Yes, that's correct."

"Well I hope you're not here to ask me to help you dissect E.T.'s body or anything." Charlie thought she heard a low chuckle come from the other agent in the room. Director Fury frowned and Charlie realized she was being unprofessional. "I'm sorry. That was rude. Let's sit." They all sat at the table in the middle of the room. Charlie leaned back in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. "So, let's get down to business."

"Yes, let's." Fury said. He stared at her with his one eye but it didn't unnerve her. "We, at SHIELD, have been keeping a close eye on you for a while now."

"Oh? Why's that?" Charlie asked, her interest officially peaked.

"You've worked for the FBI for almost seven years now and have proven to be exceptional at what you do. You have earned many medals and honors when you served your time as a Marine. You had a special skill set while you served, deep infiltration. Every mission successful. Quite remarkable." The mention of her time in the military made Charlie uneasy.

_Could he know? How could he know? Stop it, Charlie! He doesn't know! You're just being paranoid. _

"Thank you, sir. But what is the point to all of this?"

"I would like you to come work for SHIELD, as an agent. You will be assigned to missions that pertain to your level of skill and if you come work for us, you will be fully protected." A red flag went up in Charlie's head.

"Excuse me?" Charlie asked but before she could let him answer, she continued. "I have been fully trained and am capable of protecting myself, Director." She sat up straighter.

"Agent Anderson," Fury leaned over the table and stared at her intensely. "We believe, because of your, special skill, that you could be in danger. More than you know."

"Did you just threaten me? Because that's a federal offense, Director." She said, also leaning on the table. Charlie put on the tough act but really, her heart was beating a mile a minute. _He knows!_ "Besides I have no idea what you are talking about when you keep mentioning my special 'skill'."

Charlie caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. Something shiney. As realization dawned on her, the switch blade was already thrown. And it was aimed right at her heart. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut as her heart skipped a beat. She felt a tingly sensation in her chest and then heard a small _thwunk_ as the knife wedged itself in the wall behind her.

Charlie opened her eyes and whirled around to stare at the knife now stuck in the interrogation room's wall. Then she spun around to look at Director Fury, with wide and furious eyes. He did know.

"How dare you." She growled.

"It was necessary." Fury said nonchalantly.

"How is throwing knives at people necessary?!" She stood up, slamming her hand on the table top. Charlie looked over at Agent Barton and realized that he threw the knife. He wasn't looking at her. He was avoiding her gaze.

"But," Fury began, "that skill is why we would like you to come with us." A flabbergasted Charlie couldn't believe her ears. She looked between Barton and Fury. Then she closed her eyes and smiled dryly. Charlie straightened and ran a hand over her suit.

"I'm sorry boys. But I must decline the offer." It felt like acid when she said those words so politely, when all she wanted to do was shoot them both.

"I highly recommend you rethink your hasty decision." Fury said. Charlie took the knife out of the wall and placed it on the table.

"I highly recommend you take my decision like a man and leave me alone." Charlie walked to the door but when she reached for the door handle, her hand went right through it. Frustrated, Charlie grabbed for the handle again, this time with much more success, and slammed the door behind her. She walked as fast as she could to her office, leaving the two SHIELD men behind.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hola mis amigos! Here's chapter two! Hope ya'll like it! Please please please leave reviews! I'm desperate! XD (hopefully I haven't scared you off) ENJOY!**_

Charlie closed her office door behind her calmly and leaned her back against it and closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly and then let her frustration out by slamming the back of her heal into the door. _How could this happen? How could they find out? _She had done so well to keep her so called 'powers' under wraps and the military had promised to destroy any info they had on her after she left.

But Charlie has heard whispers that have circulated around the department about SHIELD and how secretive they are. But why her? Her 'skill', as Fury called it, isn't even that special. She could walk through walls, big whoop. Well, she could also make other things go through her, as example, make knives go right through her chest without even a scratch.

She used her powers while she was in the Marines. That was one of the main reasons why she had joined. She knew that her powers were good for something and she found that something: missions for the military. She used it to get deep into enemy territory and retrieve info.

Soon, they were asking her to infiltrate weapons warehouses. Charlie became suspicious when they asked her to do this. Whenever she asked questions, she was shot down. Frustrated that she couldn't get any answers, Charlie resigned. She joined the FBI as a fresh start and has led a normal life since then. Until now, of course.

Anything from fear, to being surprised, even being overly excited could trip her powers. Most of the time she just needed to clear her mind and she could just walk through a door. Maybe SHIELD wants to use her powers like the military wanted to. She wouldn't let that happen.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door that caught Charlie off guard. Charlie let out a yelp as she fell back through the door and hit the floor on the other side. Charlie looked at her situation: her knees down to her feet were still on the other side of the door.

"That looks uncomfortable," a voice said from her right. Charlie looked up at the handsome Agent Barton. Charlie then remembered she was at work where other people could see and quickly pulled her feet from out of the door. She sat up and glared up at Agent Barton.

"What are you still doing here? I declined your offer and very politely may I add."

"Yes. Yes you did. But I am here to change your mind." He said, extending his hand to help her to her feet. His hand looked rough with callouses but they also showed kindness. Before Charlie could take it, a voice spoke from her left.

"Charlie?" Charlie turned her head and saw Harper standing there with her arms filled with more manila folders. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"It's actually quite comfy down here. Care to join me?" Charlie asked in a mocking voice, patting the floor beside her and smiling up at Harper.

"No thank you." Harper looked over at Agent Barton and her hazel eyes lit up. She flashed him a brilliant smile. "Who's your friend?"

"He's _not_ my friend." Charlie stated.

"We aren't enemies either." Barton countered. He extended his hand and Harper happily shook it. "Agent Clint Barton. I work for SHIELD."

"Oh really? Neat. I'm Harper Zephyr and sometimes Agent Andersons partner in the field." Harper batted her eyelashes a few times. Charlie now felt like she had the power to turn invisible. She rolled her eyes and muttered "Dear God" under her breath while she made her way to her feet. Barton's attention must have returned to Charlie because he helped her stand up.

"Thanks." She said brushing herself off and looking at Harper. "Those for me?" Charlie eyed the folders.

"Yeah, more paper work." Harper handed the folders to Charlie but not before she gave Barton a once over and then gave Charlie a look. No, _the _look. Charlie gave her a "seriously?" look and Harper responded by wiggling her eyebrows.

"Okayyy." Charlie said drawing out the word, now uncomfortable. "Let's talk in my office Agent Barton." Charlie opened her office door and Barton walked in. Charlie turned to walk in but not before getting a smack on the ass by Harper and a "go get 'em!" Charlie rolled her eyes and shook her head and closed the door. Barton took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Charlie's desk while she sat in her comfy leather one.

"Charlie." She looked up, a little caught off guard.

"Yeah. It's uh, short for Charlotte." She said.

"I know. Just testing out how it sounds." Charlie looked at him and blushed and he returned a smile. Charlie thought that she had lost the ability to blush. Working for the FBI, you see some things you really wish you hadn't. And eventually you learn how to control blushing. Anyways, it took a lot to get Charlie to blush. She looked away and fidgeted with the folders on her desk.

"So." She said.

"So." He repeated. She wasn't looking at him but she could hear the grin in his voice.

"You came to persuade me to change my decision, right? Did your boss tell you to use 'all means necessary'." She looked up at him.

"You could say that."

"Even if it means throwing more knives at me?" Charlie grinned when she said this. He chuckled slightly.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I was just following orders. Honestly." He said putting both hands up. Charlie rose as eyebrow and rested her chin on the palm of her hand, eyes never leaving his. "But I think you should take the position Fury's offered." He said suddenly getting very serious.

"Why's that?"

"Look. I know you think you can protect yourself but the truth is you need people to watch your back. There are danger's out there that you have not been trained for because to places like the FBI, they don't exist." He stared intensely at her with stormy eyes.

Charlie had to ask him. "Would those dangers happen to be targeting me due to certain, ability, I may have?" Charlie knew that Barton knew about her power because he _was_ the one who threw the knife. She just felt like testing him.

Barton leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his knees with his hands clasped together. "Possibly, yes." He answered, his eyes scanning every feature on her face. There was another question that she was itching to ask.

"Would SHIELD be making me use this ability for, how should I put it, any wrong doing?"

"Never. In fact, you will not be required to use your ability unless asked. If you decline the mission, then oh well. We'll deal with it." Charlie chewed her lower lip.

"How can I be sure?" Agent Barton paused to think and then stood.

"I'll take you to tour our base of operations. You can decide to accept our offer there." Charlie gave him a skeptical look.

"You're not going to blind fold me and tie me up as soon as I walk out the door, are you?"

"Can't make any promises." Barton responded, a smile playing on his lips. Charlie grinned.

"I like you, kid." Charlie said and Barton laughed.

"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself. It'd be a damn shame if you turn down the offer."

"Don't push it, bub." Charlie stood and looked at the pile of manila folders on her desk. "Sigh. Guess this paper works going to have to wait." Charlie walked around her desk and headed towards the door. "I have to inform my superior,"

"Already done." Barton said, walking up to the door alongside her.

"What? Just like that?"

"Just like that. SHIELD is of a higher authority. Another reason you should join." He said as he opened the door for her.

"Uh-huh." Was all she said as she walked out of the office. They walked out the front entrance and Barton climbed into a black SUV. Charlie stopped before she got in. "My mother warned me about getting into big black cars with strangers."

"Do you know my name?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's uh, Clint, right?" He smiled when she said his name.

"Then we're not strangers." He beckoned for her to get in and she did. They drove to the airport where a militaristic looking jet awaited them. Charlie followed Barton to the rear of the jet. Barton walked up the ramp but stopped when he realized Charlie had not followed him. "Don't tell me your mother told you not to get into big black jets with strangers too." Charlie looked up at his handsome grinning face.

"Uh no. I kinda have this thing with heights. It's called fear." Barton walked back down the ramp and stood next to her.

"You'll be fine, don't worry. It's perfectly safe." He said slapping the side of the jet.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that my emotions will trigger my power and I'll fall right through the floor and then plummet to my death." Barton blinked at her a couple of times. _Great Charlie. He probably thinks you're crazy! _ He shook his head and smiled.

"You're crazy." She knew it! Charlie gave him an exasperated look and he laughed. "Okay. You're not crazy. Maybe a little loony…" he cast her a sideways glance.

"They mean the same thing, you ass!" She exclaimed, slapping his arm.

"Ouch! That actually kind of hurt. Do you work out?"

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"Okay, okay. Look, you'll be fine. Here," he offered her his arm. "You can hang onto me and think about rainbow's and butterflies."

"I work with the FBI. There are no such things as rainbow's and butterflies."

"Then think about guns and badges." He said elbowing her, urging her to take his arm. Charlie sighed and looped her arm through his. They walked up the ramp together. They sat down and strapped themselves in. "How long will it take to get there?"

"Not long," Barton reassured. Charlie sighed and clung onto his arm for dear life. She couldn't help but notice how toned his arm was. _Nothing like a man with nice arms to wrap you up at night and…. Good God. Maybe Harper was right. I need to get laid. _A hand passed in front of her face, which snapped Charlie backed to reality.

"We're here." Charlie looked at Barton.

"Already?"

"Told you it wouldn't take long." He nodded towards the front windshield of the jet. Charlie looked out the window and let out a drawn out whistle. "Special Agent Anderson. Welcome to the Helicarrier."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Here's chapter three! It might be a little boring :( my bad. I also need to let you know that I won't be updating for the next two days because I'm crazy busy. I promise to update as soon as Saturday or maybe even Friday night. Anyways ENJOY! **_

_**-Kody Lyon**_

The jet landed on the flight deck and Charlie and Clint walked down the ramp. The wind whipped angrily at Charlie's cheeks. Somehow it was actually quite peaceful up there. Clint showed her the way inside and he led her through a door that led them into a hallway. Charlie realized the wind had ripped her hair out of her bun. The dark brown curls barely hung past her shoulders. Charlie never felt like dealing with the tangled mess every day, so she always wore it up. Charlie started to scrap here hair up into another bun but a hand was placed around her wrist. Charlie stopped and looked at Barton.

"Leave it. You hair looks much better down." Charlie hesitated and he smiled. He let her wrist go and she let her hair fall down around her shoulders. Clint's hand reached up and brushed aside a curl that had fallen across her face. Charlie wasn't sure how to react so she hastily batted his hand away and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's a bit of a nuisance." She said.

"Nonsense. It beautiful."

Charlie gave him a shy smile. "Thanks." She wasn't used to getting compliments. Out of nowhere, someone cleared their throat. Clint and Charlie turned to look at Director Fury.

"So. You've changed your mind." He wasn't asking.

"Director. I so wish you wouldn't assume things." Charlie said sweetly.

"Then why are you here?"

"I brought her here, sir." Barton said quickly and he moved to stand in front of Charlie. "I couldn't get her to change her mind at the office, so I thought I could change her mind if I brought her here." Fury looked at Barton and then to Charlie who was looking over Barton's broad shoulder.

"Fine. But you better make it quick. You get debriefed on your next mission in an hour." Fury looked at Charlie one last time, turned and walked down the hall.

"Are you sure it was okay to bring me here? He didn't see very happy to see me." Charlie whispered over his shoulder.

"That's just Fury." Clint whispered back. "Why _are_ we whispering?" He turned to look at her.

"You never know. He could have ears like a hawk." Charlie whispered again. Clint laughed.

"No, but I do." He smiled and winked at her. Was that supposed to be funny? Charlie gave him a confused look. Clint's smile faltered.

"What? What happened? Do I have something on my face?" Charlie put a hand up to her face.

"No you don't have anything on your face. Earlier, when you mentioned the Avengers, you didn't even seem to realize that one was in the room with you." Charlie blinked at him a couple times. Then she took a step back and studied him. It dawned on her.

"Ohhh. You're the archer." Charlie smiled. "Now I get it." Clint didn't look pleased. "What? I was focused on Iron man and Captain America." Clint crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. _He's offended! I offended him! _"I…"

"Let's start the tour." He said in monotone and walked down the hall. Charlie stared after him in horror. _I offended him! Great going Charlie. _Clint walked farther down the hall without checking if Charlie was following him. So she had to jog to catch up to him. On their way to where ever they were going, Charlie made several attempts to apologize but she kept her trap shut.

Soon they walked through a pair of automatic glass doors and stepped into what Charlie only guessed as the flight deck. Charlie looked around and was amazed by everything she saw. The view was beautiful from the windows and Charlie's fear of heights was lifted, for now. On the lower deck, agents were stationed at computers or were running around.

Charlie saw Fury standing by the table with a woman in a uniform by his side. Fury was talking to a short haired blonde who sat at the table on the upper deck. Fury glanced up as Charlie and Barton walked closer. The man sitting looked up as well and so did the woman.

"I should have known you would bring her here first." Fury said to Barton.

"I didn't know you were so eager to get away from me, Director." Fury ignored Charlie's quip.

"Thought it was the best place to start." He replied.

"Special Agent Anderson, this is my first in command, Agent Maria Hill." Fury said indicating the woman in uniform. They shook hands.

"Please call me Charlie. My FBI title's way too long."

"Wish you would have told me that." Clint whispered in Charlie's ear. She elbowed him in the side.

"If you joined SHIELD, all you would need in the 'agent' part." Maria said.

"Yes. I know." Charlie replied with a smile.

"And this," Fury said indicating the man that was sitting, now standing, "is Steven Rogers." Charlie turned her attention to Steve and she stared up into breath taking blue eyes. Charlie thought there was something oddly familiar about him and she noticed that he wasn't in any kind of a uniform. When Charlie went to shake his hand, her hand passed right through his.

Charlie blinked a couple of times and said, "Well that's embarrassing." Steve looked like he had no idea what just happened.

"Charlotte has a special ability." Fury began.

"Walking through walls is hardly anything special. I may have used it in the military but,"

"You were in the military?" Steve asked. Charlie smiled at him.

"Yes, sir. For about three years." Then it dawned on Charlie who he was. _Wow. I'm horrible at this._ "You're not the only one." She whispered to Clint. She glanced up and saw him smile a little. _Yes! Fences were mended._

"If that is all, I would like to go back to discussing important matters." Fury said.

"Of course, sir." Clint responded.

"Nice to meet both of you." Charlie said to Steve and Agent Hill before she and Clint walked out of the flight deck. They walked down another long hallway next to each other, shoulders bumping every now and then. "So, where to next?"

"The training room." As they approached a doorway, a woman stepped out in a tank top and sweatpants. Her red hair was tied back and Charlie could tell that she had been working out. She stopped when she saw Charlie and Clint.

"Natasha." Clint said with a smile.

"Hi. Who's your friend?" She asked, looking at Charlie with an unreadable expression.

"Charlotte Anderson." Charlie introduced herself without using her FBI title. She extended her hand and Natasha shook it. Her grip was very strong.

"Fury wants to recruit her but she's too stubborn to take the offer." He said. Charlie sneered at him.

Natasha's eyes scanned Charlie and she said, "She's not the stubborn type, Clint. You're probably not convincing enough." Charlie let out a chuckle and Natasha smiled. "Debriefs in an hour. Don't be late. It was nice to meet you." She said to Charlie. Charlie smiled and Natasha hit Clint on the arm before she walked away.

"Friend?" Charlie asked as they walked into the training room.

"Partner." Clint responded.

"Ah." Charlie took inventory of the room. Several weapons racks along the walls and there were all kinds of exercise equipment. There was a glass wall that separated the shooting range from the room they were in. Charlie walked through the connecting door and into the range. She walked up to a rack of guns and examined them. She eyed a bow that was hanging up and she ran a hand over the modernized weapon.

"Do you know how to use it?" she turned her head to look at Clint who stood next to her. He was looking at the bow.

"No. The only thing I've used close to it was a crossbow for hunting."

"Would you like to learn?" he asked. Clint turned his attention to her and their eyes met. Charlie could tell that this was something he was passionate about. She nodded and he grabbed the bow from its spot and retrieved an arrow from a quiver. "C'mon." He walked over to a shooting stall. It was a tight fit for the both of them but they managed. He handed her the bow and he helped her set the arrow into position. His hands guided hers, his front just barely brushed against her back and his face was inches from hers. "Okay. Now slowly pull the arrow back until your right hand touches the corner of your mouth." Charlie fumbled a little because her hands were shaking slightly. Clint rested his right hand on top of hers and steadied it. "Take a couple deep breaths." She inhaled and exhaled slowly and her arms were getting tired already.

"Anytime now, Robin Hood." He slightly kicked the back of her leg.

"Shh. Clear your mind." Charlie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Let go." She did. Charlie heard the arrow hit something and when she opened her eyes, it was in the center of the target. Charlie grinned ear to ear. "Good work. You're a natural." Charlie laughed.

"Better watch out. I might steal your job."

"Just might," he chuckled in her ear. Charlie turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder at him.

"It's only because I had a great teacher." He smiled at her and she watched his eyes scan her face.

"This teacher loves flattery."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't let it get to your head."

"Too late." Charlie shook her head and smiled. She eased herself out of the small cramped space and went to go put the bow away. "Are you convinced yet?"

"No. Not really." Charlie responded.

"Well let's go then. There's so much to show you in so little time."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Alright people. I found time to type this special chapter up. Hope you like it. I *cough* always *cough* love reviews *cough* :) *Cough***_

Charlie stayed on the helicarrier for at least two more hours. By the end of the tour, Charlie was all but confused. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't just leave her job at the FBI, could she? She was in such a good position there that she just couldn't up and quit. She couldn't leave Harper or her apartment because she loved living in D.C. She had made no plans to leave either. But now Charlie needed to rethink everything. She left undecided and was taken back to J. Edgar. Clint told Charlie that he would stop by the office at the end of the week to get her answer.

Charlie walked into her office and sat at her desk. She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long frustrated sigh.

"Well that was a depressing sound." Harper walked in and sat down in a chair in front of the desk. Charlie moaned and put her head down on her desk. "What's wrong, Babe?" When she didn't get an answer, she put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and shook it. "Charlie?" She waited but got no reply. "Charlotte Noel Anderson, what in God's name is wrong with you?" Charlie slowly lifted her head to look at Harper.

"I hate it when you use my full name."

"I know you do. That's why I said it. Now tell me. What's the matter?"

"Don't be mad."

"About what?" Harper said, her voice filled with suspicion.

"Promise?"

"Yes! I promise! Now tell me!"

"I was offered a job. At SHIELD. That's why that agent was here to talk to me."

"What!?" Harper stood up so fast that it didn't even register in Charlie's brain that she had done so.

"You promised you wouldn't get mad!"

"I'm not mad. Just a little shocked."

"Your facial expression reads 'mad'. You're like an open book, Harper."

"Okay maybe I'm a little…irked. Why would they do that? Don't they know that you have a perfectly fine job here? You're like one of the best agent's here!" Harper placed her hands on her hips and started pacing. Charlie smiled up at her friend.

"Thanks for the compliment. And don't worry. They are fully aware of my job here. They just think that I would be a pretty good agent there." Charlie looked down at her hands.

"What aren't you telling me?" Charlie looked up and met Harper's eyes. "Oh come on. You're not the only one that can be read like a book."

"Harper…"

"No 'buts' Charlie. Tell me." She said, placing one hand flat on the desk and leaning towards Charlie. Charlie didn't want to tell her. But she had no choice.

"Harper, there's something that you don't know about me. No one does, really. And up until today, I thought nobody else knew but me."

"Oh God. Charlie, if you're about to tell me that you haven't slept with anyone for so long because you have herpes, you can keep that to yourself. Really, I don't mind." Charlie stared at Harper in horror.

"No! I do not have herpes! Sit down because this is serious shit!" Harper sat down and looked at Charlie expectantly. Charlie took a deep breath and said, "It's easier to just show you and you better not freak out." Charlie reached in her desk drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. Charlie laid her left hand flat on the desk and brought the scissors down on her hand with her right. Harper let out a short scream and covered her mouth with her hands, wide eyes staring at Charlie in dismay. "Harper. I have a special… ability." Charlie lifted her hand up, still holding the knife where it was.

"Theres… no blood. You're not screaming in pain or… Charlie! You just _stabbed _yourself! With scissors!" Charlie smiled at Harper and retracted the scissors from her hand and placed them on the desk.

"Well, you're not wrong there. And your freaking out when I asked you not to. Harper, look at my hand." Harper's eyes moved to Charlie's hand. "It's perfectly fine. I can do other things as well. Walk through solid objects, make things go through me and even make other objects pass through each other, if I'm touching it." Harper was silent, still staring at Charlie's hand. Charlie was afraid she had emotionally traumatized her friend. She probably won't be able to use scissors again. "Harper?" Her eyes slowly moved up and met Charlie's concerned ones.

"You bitch! I've known you for how long and you never told me about this?!" Charlie was unsure how to react but when Harper smiled, so did she. Charlie laughed even.

"Uhh, sorry. I think."

"Yeah that's right! I deserve an apology!" Both friends laughed together. Harper wasn't horrified. She was excited. Charlie explained to Harper about her time in the Marines and then why SHIELD offered her a job.

"Charlie. If you think it's a good idea and you might like it, then go for it. Don't worry about me. I have other friends here. They can't walk through walls or anything but I'll make do." Harper and Charlie laughed.

"I don't know, Harp. I just need time to think it over. I have until the end of the week." Charlie looked down at her desk and saw the manila folders that haven't moved since they were placed there. "Damn. I have to get started on this paper work."

"Then I will leave you to it." Harper stood and walked to the door. But before she left, she turned and looked back at Charlie. "Hey, Charles?" Charlie looked up at her friend. "Thanks for trusting me."

Charlie smiled and said, "Always."

"And don't forget about the company gathering tomorrow night at the Botanic Garden!" Harper left her office and Charlie stared after her. She had totally forgotten about that! She had a dress and everything picked out but Charlie didn't feel much like dressing up. Oh well. Charlie pushed it to the back of her mind and got to work.

Charlie was halfway done with her work when she glanced at her clock and it was 10:13. You know what they say: time fly's when you're having fun. Not. Charlie sighed and decided to do the rest of it at home. Charlie shoved the folders into her messenger bag along with her laptop and left the building. Charlie stripped her feet of her heals and walked barefoot. It was a beautiful night and Charlie tilted her head back to look at the stars. Charlie usually sat out on the fire escape outside her bedroom window and looked at the stars if it was a nice night. Sometimes she would even fall asleep outside. She loved the outdoors.

When Charlie got into her apartment, she checked her mail and went to see if she had any messages on her message machine. Her apartment was nice because she kept it that way. Right when you walk in, the apartment's living area is there with a kitchenette to the left. Her separate bedroom with a connecting bathroom was back and to the right.

Charlie dropped her stuff on the small dining table and went to go take a shower. The hot water soothed all of the knots in her shoulders, due to bending over her desk all day. Charlie dried herself off and dressed in black yoga pants and a grey tank top. She put her damp hair up into a bun. She took her contacts out and put her square thick black rimmed glasses on. Charlie liked wearing her glasses because she thought she could pull them off without looking like too much of a squint.

When Charlie got out of the bathroom, the French window was open. Charlie stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and stared at the window, trying to remember if she'd opened it or not. She hadn't. Charlie slowly walked to her bed and opened the bedside drawer and took out her extra semiautomatic handgun. She cautiously walked over to the window, gun at the ready. Charlie peered out of the window and looked up and down the fire escape. There was no one there. Charlie lowered her gun and closed the window and latched it. Charlie turned and went to put her gun away.

"Hey, there." A voice said from behind her. Charlie whirled around and raised her gun in the direction of the voice. Charlie was not expecting what she saw and had a hard time believing it too. Barton sat on the window sill; one leg bent the other hanging outside, his back resting against the frame and the window was open. He was dressed all in black gear. He grinned at her and she lowered her gun.

"How did you…"

"Get the window open? I have my ways." He said still grinning. "Paranoid?" He said indicating the gun in her hands.

"Cautious." She said. Charlie put the gun back in the drawer and walked over leaning her shoulder against the wall by the window. "What are you doing here?"

"Got done with my mission pretty early and I had nothing better to do." He said looking up at her. "I didn't know you wore glasses."

"That would be because we only met this morning." Charlie reminded him.

"Yes but SHIELD has a whole file on you full of interesting things." Charlie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Oh really? Like…"

"Like date of birth, parents names', what school's you attended, first relationship, last relationship…" he trailed off as he read the expression on her face, which was of horror.

"Are you serious? You're not serious." All he did was smile at her.

"Say yes and you can check out your own file."

"Clint, I told you. I need time to make up my mind."

"Well in that case, I lied. I am here for a reason. Fury has something to add to his offer. Once a month for one weekend, you'll be able to leave and live a normal life. If you decide to leave SHIELD, your job at the FBI will be waiting for you and you will be reinstated as a Special Agent." Charlie let this sink in for a while.

"I'll sleep on it." Charlie said pushing herself off of the wall and headed towards her bed. She starts to unmake the bed but feels a little uncomfortable with Barton watching her. She stops what she's doing and turns to look at him. "Yes?"

"What's that for?" He said pointing with a black fingerless gloved hand. Charlie looked and saw he pointed at the dress she had picked out for the company gathering.

"Oh. The FBI's having some special gathering tomorrow at the Botanic Gardens. And unfortunately, we have to dress up."

"You don't like dressing up?" It wasn't that Charlie hated dressing up it was more like she hated how time consuming it was to get ready for those types of things.

"I don't hate it, if that's what you're trying to get at." Charlie said looking at the dress.

"I think you'll look beautiful in that." He said. He turned his head and his eyes scanned her but not in a creepy way. More like he was admiring her.

"Thanks. You like to give compliments don't you?" She crossed her arms across her chest.

"Especially to beautiful women." He said with a smile playing on his lips. Charlie smiled and turned away from him mostly because she didn't want him to see her blushing.

She waited until her cheeks stopped burning to say something. "Will that be all, Agent Barton?" She turned around to look at him but he was gone. The window was shut and latched. Charlie was somewhat disappointed and she sat on the edge of her bed staring at the window. Then she laughed to herself. _He called me beautiful._ Charlie shook her head and got up to turn off the lights. She went to sleep, replaying the words _Especially to beautiful women _over and over in her head.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Alrighty. Chapter 5 is here and it's a doozy. And a special shout out to: babygurl1944, K-Bird-Lily-2 and Texas-Shewolf for supporting me with the reviews. Appreciate it!**_

_**Notes: The place where the gathering is taking place can go by two names: The Botanical Gardens or The Botanic Garden (which is what I've been calling it). It is an absolutely beautiful place in D.C. because I've been there before. Just google it and you'll see what I mean!**_

_**Visual Aid: There's a link on my profile to help you visualize Charlie's dress. I absolutely looooove this dress haha. check it out!**_

Charlie slept through her alarm the next morning. She got up and dressed quickly in a navy blue pant suit and grabbed her stuff and drove to work, speeding the whole way there. Funny. She works for the law and she broke about ten all in one morning. She didn't get to do the rest of her paper work last night because she got side tracked thanks to a certain someone. So Charlie had to put crime solving on hold for another day. She left the office earlier that day so that she could go home and get ready for the company gathering.

Charlie took a shower and after, she did her hair and make-up. She wore her hair half up and she sported smokey eyes and wore a light pink lipstick. Before she put her dress on, Charlie strapped a gun to her inner thigh. You could never be too careful. Charlie wore a black mid-thigh cocktail dress with a high neck line. The dress had lace sleeves and a lace back that extended to her lower back. Charlie grabbed her black strappy shoes and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on. She popped the bottom off of the heel part of the shoe and put slim switch blades inside them. Then she put the bottom back on and put the shoes on. Before she left her apartment, Charlie took a look in the mirror. She smiled. "Not bad. Not bad at all." Charlie then grabbed her black clutch and car keys and left for the Botanic Garden.

Night had fallen and it was wonderful weather for an event. Charlie drove up to the Botanic Garden and let the valet take her car. She put the valet ticket in her clutch and started to walk towards the entrance. Lights were strewn everywhere and illuminated the place. Décor was hardly needed because the many exotic plants they had were already so beautiful. Charlie recognized the honey blonde hair before she even saw her face. Charlie walked up to Harper and they hugged. Harper was dressed in a short purple one shoulder dress with black heels.

"You look beautiful!" Charlie said looking at Harper. She laughed.

"Why thank you! So do you! Where did you get that dress?" She asked.

"Well my best friend helped me pick it out." They laughed together. They got in line and waited to give their names before entering. When they got inside, Harper gave her jacket to one of the stewards and Charlie put her clutch in its pocket so that she wouldn't lose it. There was a string quartet that sounded lovely and some people were slow dancing to the instrumental music. They headed to the makeshift bar but were stopped by a couple of other agents who wanted to chat. While they were talking, Charlie felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw her boss, Special Agent Aaron Hughes, standing behind her.

"Charlie! So glad you could make it! You look great." He said smiling at her.

"Thank you, Sir. I'm happy to be here. It looks like everyone from the building has attended."

"Just about. Can I get you anything?"

"I'm good for now, thank you." Charlie responded.

"You enjoy yourself." He smiled and walked away to chat with some other colleagues. Harper finished talking with the other agents and the two of them headed to the bar. They ordered their drinks and stood there looking amongst the crowd.

"Wow. There are so many people here." Harper observed.

"I know." Charlie said and then took a sip of her drink.

"Maybe we can find someone for you." Harper's eyes scanned the crowd.

"No thank you."

"Oh come on Charlie. Just give me a chance. How about…. Him!" Harper pointed to the far left of the room. He was an agent, about six foot with short dark hair and tanned skin. He was quite good looking actually.

"He's attractive but no." Charlie said still looking at him. Harper turned to look at Charlie, leaning on the bar counter.

"You have someone in mind, don't you?" Charlie whirled her head towards Harper.

"No Harper! I don't!"

"Well something's holding you back." Harper turned her head back to crowd and scanned. Harpers face contorted and she straightened. "Charlie? Isn't that…" Harper indicated with a nod of her head and Charlie looked straight ahead. Through the many people Charlie saw them and her jaw dropped. Standing there talking to her boss was Nick Fury and Agent Barton. They were both dressed in tuxes and for Barton, it fit in all the right places.

Charlie finally managed to say something. "Why are they here?! I can't believe they would come. This is ridiculous. I can't have one night to forget everything and relax?" Charlie set her drink down and said, "I'll be right back." Charlie strode over to where the men stood and she stood next to her boss.

"Ah. Charlie, I believe you know these men." Charlie looked at Fury and Barton with a smile plastered on her face.

"Hello again. Didn't think I would be seeing you boys so soon. I didn't think I would be seeing you here. Tonight." Charlie said, agitation hinting in her voice.

"Well we couldn't resist a fine event like this." Fury said, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Oh I bet you couldn't." she said through gritted teeth.

"Director Fury and I were just talking about you actually and about his offer."

"You know, sir?" She looked at her boss who was inches taller than her.

"Of course I know, Charlie. I'm your boss."

"And?" she asked, wanting to know what his thoughts were about her possibly leaving.

"And, it's your decision. I mean I would hate to lose such a fine agent but I can't decide for you."

"Thank you for shedding light on the subject Agent Hughes." Fury said. "Why don't we go get a drink? Agent Barton will keep you company, Charlotte." Furry and Hughes walked away leaving Charlie and Barton behind. Charlie eyed him and she couldn't believe how good he looked in a suit.

"Told you," he said smiling at her.

"Told me what?" she said crossing her arms.

"That you would look beautiful in that dress." She laughed a little.

"Yeah well, you don't clean up too bad yourself." She commented. And that was the honest to god truth. He gave her a broad smile and extended his hand to her.

"Care to dance?" Charlie looked at his hand and she nodded. She took his hand and they walked over to where some other people were dancing to the music of quartet. He placed his hand on her hip and she placed a hand on his shoulder, right hands clasped together.

"You're not going to step on my toes are you?" Charlie asked before they started to dance.

"I've had much practice." His eyes stared into hers and she turned her head away smiling.

"So, are you going to tell me why you and Fury came here tonight?"

"To have a couple drinks and chat up some of FBI's finest." He said into her ear. "Have you thought about what I told you last night?"

"God. Can't I just enjoy myself for one night?" she said turning her head to look at him. He was not smiling and he hesitated before he answered her.

"Of course." He said, readjusting his hand on her hip.

"Thank you." They were dancing for a little when suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by the sound of glass breaking. Clint and Charlie stopped dancing, as well as others, and looked up .A couple more bangs rang out and the glass roof of the Garden came crashing down in small shards. Barton quickly grabbed Charlie around the waist and covered her from the falling glass. They waited another minute and they both stood up straight. As Barton stood up, glass fell from his back and onto the floor. Charlie looked around, her breathing labored. "Those were gun shots."

"Yeah they were." Barton turned his head every which way, looking for the source. Everyone was looking around and wondering what had just happened. There came an ear piercing scream as men dressed in black flooded in and surrounded the crowd. They made everyone move together in a clump and Charlie saw that they had machine guns in their hands. They were yelling at the crowd through thick accents. One of the men raised their gun and fired into the air, silencing the crowd and turning heads in his direction. Barton put an arm around Charlie's waist and pulled her up against him. She mindlessly put both of her hands on top of the one around her waist. They watched as another man, tall with dark curly hair and dressed in a suit, walked in and stood in front of the frightened group of people. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at them. Charlie could tell that he was in charge. Finally he spoke in an accent that Charlie could only guess as French.

"Where is the wall walker?" He said in a loud voice so that everyone could hear him. Charlie's heart stopped and her grip on Barton's hand tightened. Had she heard him correctly or did she just interpret what she thought he said because of his accent? Charlie looked around and saw the faces around her: they were all confused and frightened.

"Don't do anything hasty." Barton whispered in her ear.

"I have to do_ something_. He's going to hurt someone and possibly someone I know." She whispered back as she kept her eyes on the French man. He whispered something in French to one of the men with a gun. The gunman strode over to the crowd and grabbed someone by the neck and dragged them away. People in the crowd let out cries but were soon silenced when shots were fired. The gunman threw the man down by the French man's feet. The French man looked down as the agent that Charlie did not recognized. He took out a handgun that was hidden behind his back and raised it to the agents' forehead.

"If one of you does not tell me soon, I will shoot this man." No one knew what to do and the French man pulled the trigger. People screamed as the agent fell to the floor. Charlie charged forward but Barton wrapped both his arms around her waist and held on tight.

"Charlie, you can't!" She struggled to get out of his grip but he was too strong. She stopped fighting him and his grip loosened. They watched as the gunman grabbed another person. Charlie's breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was: Harper.

"Let me go." She whispered harshly at Barton.

"No." His grip tightened again but she didn't struggle.

"I'm not going to run."

"Yeah right! I know what you're going to do because that's your friend up there."

"Yes it is and if you don't let me go right now, she is going to die!" She turned her head took look him in the eyes. He looked back with stubborn eyes but they softened and he let her go. She turned to face him and put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she took her heels off. She looked down at the glass on the floor and concentrated. When she set her feet on the floor, there was no pain because she used her power just enough so that she wouldn't fall through the floor. She popped the end of one of the heels off and took a switch blade out. She repeated the process with the other shoe. She discarded her shoes on the floor and held the blades in front of Clint. "Can you slip away? Create a diversion? We need to get these people out of here." She looked up at him and his face was so serious.

"Is it inappropriate to say that I am very attracted to you right now?" He said taking the knives from her.

"Yes!" She gave him an incredulous look.

"Good." He said. Before he turned to leave, he grabbed her under the chin and looked into her eyes. "Be careful." She nodded.

"Don't miss."

"Never." Was all he said as he slipped away to find a good vantage point. Charlie turned her attention back to the gunman who was holding Harper by her upper arm. His grip must have been hard because Charlie saw the pain on her friends face. The French man walked over to Harper and raised his gun.

"I will shoot this woman if I don't get an answer to my question!" Harper cried out in fear as the gun was put right up to her temple.

"Hurry Barton." Charlie said under her breath. Suddenly, one of the blades flew out of nowhere and punctured the neck of the man who was holding Harper. He let go of her and fell to the ground, bleeding to death. The crowd took this opportunity, like Charlie had thought, to scatter. People ran in every which way looking for an exit. People were screaming and yelling all over the place. Charlie concentrated for a moment and used her power to literally run right through people to get to Harper. Charlie kept an eye on her but all of a sudden there were too many people in front of her range of vision and she lost her. Charlie frantically looked for her friend in the chaotic sea of people. "Damn it! Where are you?!"

Suddenly she heard someone yell "Charlie!" above all the noise and Charlie looked around for the source. Charlie looked up and saw Barton perched in one of the trees. He pointed towards something and Charlie looked that way. She spotted the French man dragging Harper away by her hair. Charlie started to sprint towards them and became material again and tackled the French man to the ground. Charlie landed next to him and he lost his grip on Harper and she fell to her knees.

"Run, Harper! Now!" Harper got to her feet and ran towards an exit. Charlie got the gun that was hidden under her dress and aimed at the man. He had quick reflexes and batted the gun right out of her hands. Charlie lunged at him and clung to his back. The French man struggled with Charlie on top of him and he suddenly sent her flying through the air and she hit the ground. Hard. Charlie needed a minute to regain focus but the French man didn't give her the time. He picked her up by the front of her dress and punched her in the jaw, which busted her lower lip. He let her drop to the ground and kicked her in the stomach a couple times. The French man stopped and looked down at her crumpled body. Charlie coughed and rolled on her side and tried to get up but it hurt. All over. But Charlie took this time to get her concentration back.

She heard the French man reloading his gun. She looked up at him as he raised the gun to her forehead.

"Stupid girl." He pulled the trigger but Charlie didn't even blink. The bullet passed right through her and wedged itself into the floor. The French man stared at her in dismay. "So. You are the wall walker."

"If that's what you want to call me, then yes. I'm the wall walker." He gave her an evil smile. Then he lunged at her but ended up crashing to the floor. Charlie got up and kicked him in the face with her bare foot. She kicked him several other times in the stomach like her did to her. She must have lost her concentration because she felt his rough hand grab her around the ankle and she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Charlie hit her head and when she opened her eyes she was seeing double. The French man pinned her down and leaned in close to her face.

"You stupid bitch. You're going to regret doing that." Charlie tried to get her mind cleared but her head throbbed horribly. All of a sudden, there was the sickening sound of snapping bone and cartilage. The French man's eyes rolled to the back on his head and he was pushed off of her. Charlie looked up and saw Barton standing beside her.

"Jesus, Charlie." He bent down and draped her arm around his shoulder. They slowly stood together as she leaned on him for support. "This is going to sound stupid, but are you alright?"

"Never been better, Clint." She licked her dry lips and tasted blood. Charlie looked around and saw that there were no more people in the Garden. Charlie heard heavy footsteps jogging up to them and saw Fury with his gun drawn. "Hey, Director. Nice of you to show up."

"Did everyone get out safely?" Barton asked.

"Yes. All but the one casualty." Fury looked at Charlie and said, "I called back up and they should be here soon. I'll have a medic take a look at you and get you cleaned up."

"Thanks." Charlie turned her head and looked at the man who had turned her evening of relaxation to a night of hell. "And who the _hell_ _is that guy_?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter six is here with a bang! Well... not really. Anyways, you get it. _**

**_Shout outs to: Serenaturner, again to Texas Shewolf and to the __anonymous guest (who I fully agree with!) for their reviews! You rock! I would also like to thank the people who are following and favoriting my story. Love ya'll!_**

**_Comments: I had such a hard time thinking up this chapter that I had to read some comics to get an idea for it. Also, I apologize if the fight scene in last chapter was a little vague for those who love action. I'm not a very violent person and it's very hard for me to think of others in pain. I'll update soon after this and blah blah blah. Okay! Enjoy!_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

Back-up arrived along with an ambulance. Clint helped Charlie over to the emergency vehicle and she sat on the back of it. EMT's examined her and cleaned her cuts. When they tried to lift her shirt to see examine her ribs, she grabbed the EMT by the wrist and insisted that she was okay. The antiseptics stung on her fresh cuts but she held back the tears. The EMT told her that she had received a concussion when her head hit the floor. When she was cleaned up and the EMT was gone, she was questioned by someone from SHIELD. She answered the questions as best as she could because her head pulsed with pain. Charlie had to close her eyes and she covered her face with her hands. The agent that was questioning her must have not gotten the hint that she wasn't answering any more questions because he kept talking. His voice seemed abnormally loud in her ears and all she wanted was some peace and quiet.

"Hey. That's enough." Charlie heard Clint's voice say and she peeked through her fingers. His hand was clamped on the agents shoulder and she saw the agent was about to protest but Clint's grip on the shoulder tightened. The agent gave a small nod and walked away. Clint watched the agent walk away and then he looked at Charlie and smiled a little. "Hey."

"Hey." She repeated. She removed her hands from her face and looked at him through squinted eyes because the lights from the Garden and the vehicles were so bright.

"You okay?" He leaned against the ambulance and crossed his arms across his chest.

"I will be. I just really want to sleep which is a repercussion of the concussion I got fighting Monsieur Frenchy." He chuckled.

"Well you can go home soon. Fury will be coming over here to fill you in on some questions you may have."

"Asking questions means that I have to think and I really don't feel like thinking right now." Charlie looked away and saw forensics rolling away two black body bags. Charlie shivered at the sight and looked away. Clint mistook her shiver as being cold and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. The jacket was warm from him wearing it and Charlie realized that she was actually pretty cold. She pulled the jacket tighter around her to trap the heat in. "Thanks."

"Sure." He said. Charlie was staring down at the pavement and she could feel his eyes on her.

"No, Clint. Not for the jacket." She looked up at him and met his eyes. "You saved my life in there. Thank you." Clint stared at her with an expression Charlie couldn't identify. Clint reached up and gently gripped the side of her face. His thumb swept across the area underneath her eye and wiped away a tear. Charlie hasn't realized she had started to cry. Maybe it was all of the emotions that were running through her. She needed to release them and crying was the only way her body knew how to do that. She hated crying in front of people. Charlie smiled and let out a choked laugh. "There's, uh, something stuck in my eye, I think." Clint smiled at her and kept his hand where it was. Charlie heard heavy footsteps approaching them and Clint removed his hand from her cheek. Charlie looked up and saw Fury walking towards them and she quickly used the sleeve of the jacket to wipe her wet cheeks dry. Fury had a folder in his hands and when he stood in front of Charlie, he placed it in her lap.

"That folder has the details on the man who caused all this mayhem." Fury pointed to the folder. "His name was Adrien Girox." Charlie flipped open the folder and looked at the picture paper clipped to the papers inside. "He's a heavy arms dealer from France. He's been known for illegally selling weapons, mainly Stark Industries, all over the world and has been on SHIELD's radar for a while now. Unfortunately, he has a partner and he is very much alive." Charlie looked through the papers and found another picture of a man. "His name is Gabriel Menard. When he finds out that Adrien's been killed they will most likely target those involved. But the fact that they were targeting you personally means that they may suspect that you were that one that killed him. These men knew you would be here tonight which means they know you work for the FBI. If they knew that much, I'm guessing they already know where you live and other personal information."

Charlie's head was spinning by the time Fury was done talking. She closed the file in her lap and looked up at Fury. The chaos that happened tonight happened because of her. Someone was killed because of _her_. It needed to end. "Yes."

"I'm sorry?" Fury said, furrowing his brows.

"My answer is yes. I will join SHIELD. All this," Charlie indicated her surroundings with a sweep of her arm, "happened because of me and someone was shot because Adrien didn't get what he wanted which was _me_. I can't put my friends and co-workers in danger. I want the deal that was offered with one exception."

"That is…"

"Harper. She was in danger tonight and you said it yourself; those men most likely have information on me and my personal life. That includes close friends. I want protection for Harper."

"Alright. What about family." Charlie looked away at the mention of family.

"No. My parents were murdered when I was sixteen and my aunt passed when I was in college. No other external family and no siblings."

"Are you sure about that?" Fury asked. Charlie glared up at him.

"Well if you must know, I had a brother but he died of leukemia when I was seven. I had a tragic life, I know. I don't need pity." Charlie looked away, afraid she might start crying again.

"Your request will be granted. Once you are officially an agent of SHIELD, we'll immediately put you on a team that has been briefed on Adrien and Gabriel. You will be working with them to locate Gabriel and take him down before he causes any more trouble." Charlie nodded and stood up slowly, slipping her arms into the jacket sleeves. The cold ground was harsh on her bare feet but she had discarded her shoes earlier that night, for good reason.

"If you don't mind, I've had a long night and I would like to get some sleep." Charlie slowly walked away.

"Of course." Fury glanced to Barton and he gave a quick nod of his head.

"Charlie, wait." Clint caught up to her and walked next to her.

"I have to find my car keys." Charlie said to him.

"I'll find them. Wait here." Charlie did what she was told mostly because she really didn't feel like finding her clutch which was in Harper's jacket pocket. Charlie waited for Clint to come back for about 5 minutes. He walked up to her and gave her her clutch. She opened it and looked for her keys. They weren't in there. Then she heard the sound of rattling keys and looked up to see them dangling from Clint's finger. She reached for them but he pulled his hand away before Charlie could snatch them.

"What do you think you are doing?" She said reaching for her keys again but just ended up tripping over her own feet and crashing into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled down at her.

"I'm driving. And I'll be staying at your place tonight." Charlie scoffed and shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine. Really, Clint." His smile faltered and he frowned at her.

"No, Charlie. These men knew where you would be tonight and targeted you. They will know where you live. Although, I don't think they will try anything after tonight's failure."

"Okay then. You don't need to come with." She tried to get out of his grip but she was stuck where he held her.

"Oh no. I'm still coming. Orders are orders."

"Oh so these are orders? I thought that maybe you wanted to come over to my apartment, to oh I don't know, chat." She said inching closer to his face but she was also inching closer to her keys.

"To chat?" He said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah, to chat." Their faces were so close that their noses barely touched. She almost had her keys. So… Close….

"Charlotte." He said looking in her eyes.

"Hmmm?" She said staring right back.

"I'm still driving." Charlie's jaw dropped and he smiled down at her. She pushed away from him letting out a frustrated sound. He laughed at her.

"Hurry up! I want to go home!" Charlie yelled at him. He walked away laughing and he returned with the car a couple minutes later. She got in her car and slammed the door. "Drive."

"Yes, Ma'am." They drove the rest of the way back to her apartment building in silence. Barton parked her car and they took the elevator up to her apartment. When they got to her door, Barton entered first just as a precaution. He checked the rooms out and when he said it was all clear, she entered and locked the door behind her. She took Barton's suit jacket off and gave it back to him and he draped it over one of the wooden dining chairs. She dropped her clutch onto the small dining table and went to her room. Barton followed her and sat on her bed as she dug through her drawers to find something comfortable to put on.

Charlie found a pair of black sweatpants, sports bra and a gray tee-shirt and walked to the bathroom. She stopped before entering and rubbed the back of her neck as she turned to Clint. "I'm, uh, going to take a shower. If you want, you can clean up when I'm done." He nodded and quietly said "Sure."

Charlie went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She flicked the lights on and placed her clothes on the counter. Charlie looked into the mirror and was horrified: there was a large bruise and gash on her forehead, her bottom lip was swollen and split and there was a bruise forming on her right jawline. Charlie stripped her dress off, which had dried blood on it, and observed the other injuries. There were several bruises along her rib cage and on her stomach area. There were a couple small bruises on her arms and that was mostly it. Oh, and her body hurt _everywhere_. Charlie turned the shower on and waited for the mirror to fog up. She took her bra and underwear off and carefully stepped into the shower. The hot water felt good on her aching muscles. Charlie stood there with her eyes closed, feeling the pleasant warm water wash away the pain. For now, of course. Images from earlier that night flashed across her mind. Charlie shook her head rapidly and started to cry. Now that she was alone, she was allowed to have her breakdown. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. She stayed in the shower until she had no more tears to offer. She turned the water off and got out and dried herself. She dressed, put her damp hair up, took her contacts out and put her glasses on. She threw the wet towel into the towel basket and walked out. Barton was sitting on the windowsill, looking outside. He noticed her walk out and stood up. She walked over to her dresser and dug for clothing. She found a pair of gray sweatpants and a black tee that belonged to her ex of so many years ago. The only reason she kept the clothing was because they were just so damn comfortable. Barton walked up beside her and she placed the clothing on the top of the dresser.

"They should fit. They were my ex's. You look the same height and build." She said, avoiding his eyes.

"Must've been a good looking man," Barton said jokingly.

"Yeah. Yeah he was." Charlie felt like she was going to cry for the millionth time that night. _Damn it. I hate crying. You're such a fool!_ Barton grasped her under the chin and tilted her head up to look at him. She glanced at him and then averted her eyes from his.

"Charlie." He said, trying to get her to look at him. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him shake his head. He let go of her chin and he reached for the hemline of her shirt. She didn't stop him. He lifted her shirt up and he examined the bruises that decorated her abdomen. She heard him suck in his breath. "Why didn't you let the EMT guys take care of this?" She just shrugged. He let go of her shirt and said, "I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and came back with a bag of ice. "Here." He handed her the ice bag and she took it. "Come this way." He led her to the bed and unmade the it. After he was done, Charlie crawled into her bed and laid down on her side clutching the ice bag to her bruised ribs. Clint took her glasses off and set them on the bedside table. "Get some rest." He kissed her on the temple and walked over to the light switch and turned them off. Charlie watched him in the darkness as he grabbed the clothes off of the dresser and went into the bathroom.

Charlie tried to fall asleep but she just couldn't. She heard the bathroom door open and she opened an eyelid. She watched as Clint walked over to the other side of the bed. Charlie stayed still as he settled in. She could smell the body soap and her shampoo. Charlie felt his arm drape lightly, being aware of her bruises, over her waist. Charlie stiffened but slowly relaxed to the feeling of his arm around her. It was what she needed to sleep: protection.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Hey all! Here's chapter seven. It's a bit boring in my opinion but it had to be done. _**

**_Comments: I want to apologize to miller330 for not giving you a shout out last chapter! Somehow in I managed to miss your name! Please forgive me! And thank you for your reviews Darling! I fully agree with taking things slow. That's how I roll... Wow. I'm so lame._**

**_Shouts outs: miller330 (got cha!) and again to Texas Shewolf. Shanks very much! _**

Charlie woke up the next morning feeling the aches and pains before she even opened her eyes. When she did, she found herself alone. The ice bag Barton had given her was gone and there was a glass of water and two blue pills on the bedside table. There was also a folded note. Charlie reached, which was hard to do, for her glasses and the note. She put her glasses on and opened the piece of paper.

_Thought you may need a bit of a relief when you woke. _

_-Clint_

Charlie smiled and sat up slowly. She popped the two large pills in her mouth and drank the whole glass of water. She placed the glass back down on the bedside table and sat back, closing her eyes. Charlie wished she could just sit there for the rest of her life and not have a care in the world but how warm she was in her bed. Unfortunately, she drank the water too fast and she really needed to go to the bathroom. Charlie slowly crawled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. After, she looked in the mirror before she went back to her room. The bruises on her face had become uglier overnight and the gash on her forehead had begun to scab over. Charlie lifted up her shirt and looked at the black, purple and blue marks that littered her abdomen. Her hair had fallen out of its bun but she didn't feel like putting it back up. She let out a sigh and walked into her room.

Charlie heard the faint noise of talking through her closed bedroom door. She walked over to the door and opened it. Barton was sitting at the small dining table, feet propped up, with a steaming coffee mug in his hand. The source of the talking had been the TV, which was turned down to a low volume. Clint's gaze moved from the TV and fixed on Charlie as she stood in the doorway. He smiled and she returned the gesture.

"Morning." He said taking a sip of coffee. His hair was mussed from sleep and his clothes were unkempt.

"Morning." She said and walked over to the kitchenette.

"Rough night?" He said jokingly. Charlie laughed and stood in front of the coffee maker.

"You have no idea." She answered, playing along. She reached into a cupboard and got a coffee mug. She filled the cup up to the brim with the steaming black liquid. Leaning against the counter, Charlie took a sip of her coffee and looked at the TV. It was on a news channel and they were covering events form last night. Charlie half expected her face to flash across the screen and a headline reading _**FBI Agent helps take down mad French Man**__._ Charlie looked at Clint. "What? No photo op? No crappy youtube video showing my heroic actions?" He looked at her and shook his head.

"No. That would just put you in more danger." Charlie pushed herself form the counter and went to sit at the table. She slowly eased herself into one of the wooden dining chairs and set her mug on the table top. She placed her crossed arms on the table and looked at Barton.

"Now what?" She asked. He shrugged and set his coffee cup down.

"Now we get you packed and we leave for the helicarrier. You will start working on finding Gabriel Menard with a team that Fury has made." Charlie nodded and turned her head to stare at the TV mindlessly. Was she really up for this or was she just fooling herself? She heard Clint shift and she turned her head back but only glanced at him. His feet were no longer propped on the table and he was sitting straight. "Are you alright?" Charlie felt like she'd been asked that many times since last night but she never really did answer it.

"No. Not at all. I've faced so many… horrible, terrifying and dangerous situations before. But this..." Charlie stopped to catch her breath. "This is totally different. I thought that if I ignored my power, that I could lie to myself and others about it, that it would go away and I wouldn't have to worry about it. But last night," Charlie closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "Someone was shot because of me and that is not okay. These people have targeted me. And for the first time since my parents were killed, I'm scared." Charlie felt a hand being placed on hers and she looked down. One of Clint's rough calloused hands lay on top of her small boney one.

"We all get scared, Charlie. But you are surrounded by people who will protect you." She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed a little.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." There was a knock on the door and they both looked up.

"I'm not expecting anyone."

"I am." He said as he let go of her hand and walked over to the door. Charlie picked up her mug but didn't drink from it. When Clint let go of her hand, it had become cold and she needed warmth. She watched him as he unlocked the door and opened it. He stood in her way so Charlie couldn't see who was on the other side of the door. She heard him talking low and she couldn't make out what he was saying. She did hear him murmur a 'thank you' and he closed the door. Charlie made herself look busy by taking sip of her coffee as Barton walked back into the living area. He set a small black duffel on the table.

"What's that? Could it perhaps be a present for me?" He smiled and shook his head.

"It's clothing for me. Can't go to work in your ex's clothes can I?"

"Well if you really wanted to, then yes." He laughed and she smiled a little. It actually kind of hurt to smile. She finished the rest of her coffee and stood up. "I guess I should probably change and pack a bag. What should I be packing anyways?" She watched as he took folded dark clothing out of the duffel and set them on the table.

"Mostly just personal items. Not too much clothing because you'll be wearing a uniform most of the time and they will give you other clothing too." The thought of wearing a uniform made Charlie cringe. She had to wear suits to work every day but she could pick what kind of suit she wanted to wear. Uniforms were so unoriginal and made everyone look the same. But she guessed that was the point.

"Alright. I'll try not to take an eternity to pack." She went to her room and closed the door behind her. Charlie stripped her night clothes off and got dressed in clean, comfortable clothing. She wore dark skinny jeans with a black belt. She wore a tank top underneath a plain black pull over hoodie with white drawstrings. She walked into the bathroom and put her hair into a French braid, curls falling out around her temples. After, Charlie dug her duffel out of her closet and placed it on the bed. She packed some clothes and her personal affects. After she was done, she sat on the bed beside the duffel and looked through her contacts on her cell phone until she found Harper's number. Charlie dialed the number and Harper picked up on the third ring.

"Charlie! I'm so glad you called! I haven't heard a word from you since last night when you SAVED MY LIFE!" She exclaimed through the phone. Charlie smiled to herself and shook her head.

"Yeah. Are you alright?" Charlie asked.

"Yes! I'm fine. Thanks to you, of course! A couple of bruises and my scalp hurts where that horrible man yanked me away by my hair but otherwise, I'm good. What about you? What happened after I left?"

"I took a hell of a beating but I'm alright. Thanks for asking."

"Are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to come over and so we can eat ice cream while we watch old movies?" Charlie laughed.

"That would be nice but I can't. That's actually why I'm calling you, Harper. I took the job at SHIELD and I'm leaving today. Many people, my colleagues, friends and you, were put in danger last night because that man was looking for me. I can't allow that to happen again. It turns out, that man has a partner who may also be targeting me. For what? I don't know. Nothing good, I can tell you that much. But I'm calling to say goodbye, for now. Director Fury is allowing me to leave for one weekend every month to have a break from SHIELD. I promise you that you and I will spend the whole weekend together and we can watch old movies and eat quarts of ice cream." When Charlie finished, there was no sound from the other end of the phone. "Harper?"

"Yeah. I'm here." Charlie heard her friend clear her throat. "If you think this is the best route for you, then go, Charlie. Find that bastards partner and take him down. Then come back to me and we'll celebrate." Charlie smiled.

"Thank you, Harper. I should probably go now."

"Okay. Love you Charles."

"Love you too, Harp."

"Be safe." She added.

"I will." Charlie hung up and set the cell in her lap and stared at the wall. _Let's do this._ Charlie put the phone in her duffel and zippered it up. She put her black lace up combat boots on, grabbed her duffel and walked out in the living area. Barton had gotten dressed while she was in her room. He wore dark pants, a black cargo jacket and boots. He also had a handgun strapped to each leg. Charlie dropped her duffel on the ground by the table and eyed the guns. "You know," she began, "if old Lady Jenkins from across the hall sees those, she will most certainly have a heart attack."

"Doesn't she ever see yours?" He asked, zipping his duffel up.

"Of course not! Mine is always hidden underneath my suit jacket, like it should be." She leaned back against the table.

"Well is she sees me, just tell her that I'm your body guard."

"I'm an FBI agent. Or I was anyways. I don't need a body guard." She crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Well with those bruises, you look like you need one." Charlie stood straight and smacked him on the arm.

"Are you ready to go? Because I'm ready." Clint picked up both of their duffels and smiled.

"Ready." She shook her head and they let her apartment. When they were elevator she asked, "What about paying for rent?"

"Oh, SHIELD takes care of that. No need to worry."

"How convenient." When they got outside, there was a black car waiting for them. Clint put their bags in the trunk and he opened the car door for her. She gave him a quick thanks and got in. He went around the car and got in. The car drove them to the airport and there was a jet waiting for them just like last time. "Oh great." She said as she got out of the car. Barton laughed and offered his arm. She happily took it and they got on the jet. It didn't take long for the jet to get to the helicarrier and land. Clint told her that her duffel would be waiting for her in her room later. When they got inside, someone was waiting for them. It was none other than Tony Stark. Charlie was a little blown away. She had never imagined she would ever meet someone such as Stark. Nor had she ever imagined she would be working for SHIELD. Charlie wished her face didn't look like she had smacked into a brick wall but there was nothing she could do.

"Who's your lady friend, Clint?" He asked. Clint rolled his eyes at Stark.

"Charlotte Anderson. Charlie for short." She extended her hand and he shook it.

"Ah. So you're the one Fury's been PMSing about." He took a good look at her face and said, "You look like you've been in a WWE smack down cage match. Do you fight illegally in underground clubs during your free time?" Charlie laughed and shook her head.

"I was actually trying out a new look. You don't like it?"

"No because I saw your profile picture and the Charlotte Anderson I saw was absolutely gorgeous the way she was." He smiled at her and she beamed back.

"I'll see what I can do." Charlie heard Clint clear his throat and she turned her head to look at him.

"We should get going." He said.

"Yeah, sure. The troops are all rallied up on the flight deck." Stark led them to the flight deck so that Charlie could meet the team that's been assigned to take down Gabriel. They all walked over to the table where several people sat and Fury stood at the head of it. "Hey Fury. The new girls here." Stark said taking a seat next to a brown haired man with glasses.

"Thanks for the introduction, Mr. Stark." Charlie said as she stopped to stand beside Fury. Clint moved to sit across the table from Stark.

"Anytime." He responded.

"Charlotte, this will be the team that will be helping to find Gabriel Menard and take him out." Fury indicated the female and male in uniform. "Agents Ballard and Dunn will be gathering any information from the past and present on Adrien and Gabriel. Dr. Bruce Banner, Stark and you will all work on locating Gabriel." Fury indicated the man sitting next to Stark. Charlie noticed that Steve Rogers was sitting beside Dr. Banner and she gave him a small smile which he returned. "Once Gabriel is located, Rogers, Barton and Stark will go in with a small team and take him out." Charlie was irritated that her name wasn't mentioned in the take out team.

"Hold up." She turned to Fury and placed a hand flat on the table. "Why am _I_ not on the take out team?"

"It's too risky and if we were to find him soon, you aren't in any condition to go out in the field." Charlie didn't like it.

"What if we don't find him soon? What if I've healed by then? Then would I be able to go?"

"Fury. There's no use fighting with this girl. She's a determined one." Stark said. Charlie stared at Fury with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll think about it." Was all he said.

"Uh-huh. I'm sure you will." Charlie said taking her hand off of the table.

"Um excuse, Chuck? Can I call you Chuck?" Charlie turned her head to look at Stark. "Yes? Okay. So, what is it about you that's got Fury giggling like a schoolgirl?" Charlie's eyes quickly met everyone's at the table. She rolled her eyes and concentrated. Then she stuck her arm right through Fury's chest. Two gasps came from the SHIELD agents and Starks face lit up. Dr. Banner and Steve stared in wonder. Charlie looked up at Fury who was frowning down at her. Charlie cleared her throat and removed her arm from his chest.

"Can you manipulate other objects to have the same unquantifiable structure like you?" Dr. Banner asked. Charlie was a little unsure of what he was asking her. Stark must have seen her confused expression and translated.

"Can you make things go through other things."

"If I'm touching it, yes."

"Remarkable." Dr. Banner said, adjusting his glasses. Fury cut into the conversation.

"We should get you to your room. Barton can show you the way and then once you are situated, he can show you to the lab where you will work on locating Gabriel. You are all dismissed." They all stood and went their separate ways. Clint led Charlie through different corridors to get to her assigned room. They passed different uniformed agents on their way there. Clint stopped at a grey metal automatic door and Charlie noticed there was a tag on the door that said, Agent Charlotte Anderson.

"Well would you look at that." She said and then watched as Barton dug something out of his jacket pocket. He took out a key card and handed it to her. She took it and looked at the grainy image of herself. "They didn't get my good side in this one." She said, frowning at the ID.

"I'll see what I can do to get that changed." He said smiling.

"Thanks friend." Charlie inserted the card into the electronic lock and waited until the little light turned green. When it did, she opened the door and walked in. She walked into a small hallway with the separate bedroom and bathroom to the right. She walked farther in and it opened up into a small living area with a couple chairs, a couch and a TV. Light poured in from the far wall which was just a huge glass window looking out onto the never ending blue sky. Charlie sat on the couch and propped her feet up on the small glass coffee table. "Not too shabby."

"Your duffel is in your room. I'll leave you so you can unpack."

"Why?" she turned her head to look at him.

"Trust me. If I'm in the room, you will never get it done." He smiled and turned to leave. "I'll be back later to see if you're ready to go check out the lab." He called over his shoulder. Charlie waited until she heard the door shut to let out her tired sigh. Her body didn't ache as much as it had that morning because she took the meds but she was still physically and mentally tired. Charlie stood and walked over to the window. She leaned her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes. _This is my new life. Charlotte Anderson, agent of SHIELD reporting for duty. _


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hello everyone! Here's chapter 8. I just want to let you know this now. I have some idea of where I want this story to go but then again I sort of don't. I have these ideas or I guess visions, in my head that I really want to incorporate into the story but I need to fill in the gaps in order to get there. Just some food for thought. _**

**__****_Shout outs: miller330, Texas Shewolf, watergoddesskasey and to B-The-Shadow-Ninja-Samurai! Thanks so much for your reviews! Also, to the many people that are following!_**

**_Comments: Shewolf: I have never read any comics with She-Hulk so I don't feel comfortable putting her into my story. I also would like the characters to be just from the movie, not the comics. But I thank you dearly for putting the suggetion out there! I am always open to suggestions! And please do not be offended if I cannot fulfill them. And in this chapter, Clint says something about an 'exploration patch'. I was aiming for an allusion towards a girlscout patch. Blah, blah, blah. Now, ENJOY!_**

Charlie finally got done unpacking and plopped down on her surprisingly comfortable bed. She lay there for a couple of minutes, eyes closed, enjoying the silence and peace. Clint had told her that he would come back and check on her and take her to the lab but she didn't know when that would be. She sat up too quickly and she let out a groan of pain and clutched her abdomen. She had forgotten about that. She walked into the bathroom and opened up the medicine cabinet. She took a couple of painkillers and walked out to the living area. She looked around and spotted her ID card on the coffee table. She grabbed it and went exploring on her own.

She walked down different corridors passing some agents every now and then. Charlie couldn't help but feel like they stared at her every time and whispered to each other after they passed. Charlie thought maybe it was because she wasn't wearing her uniform yet or because her face was one big bruise. Or maybe it was because word got around fast in the SHIELD community. Of course everyone knew about Charlie and what she could do. Nothing stayed secret for long here.

Walking down a corridor that looked like every other one she had been through, Charlie stopped to wonder if she was just walking in circles. Then she heard familiar voices from a room to her left. She walked over to the open doorway and peered in. The room was set up like a lab that was converted into a research room. Charlie noticed the familiar SHIELD agents, Dunn and Ballard, on two computers surrounded by boxes half filled with files. Most of the files were splayed out on the table with the computers. Some were open and papers were visible. Charlie's eyes moved to the back of the room which was a large glass wall that looked out onto the flight deck. Dr. Banner and Stark were standing next to each other viewing some kind of footage on a high tech touch screen. Charlie could make out the backwards photo of Adrien and another picture of a man, Gabriel, off to the side of the screen.

Charlie walked into the room and let out a slow whistle. Everyone in the room looked up from what they were doing and over at her. "Nice set up you got here." She said walking over to the table with all of the files on it. She picked one up and flipped through it.

"Thanks. It was all me. Impressed?" Stark asked.

"He likes to think it was all him but I helped."

"Okay. Banner helped with ten percent of it." Banner gave Stark an incredulous look and Stark returned his look with a smile. Charlie also smiled and shook her head. She instantly frowned as she found a photo of Gabriel and turned it so that Stark and Banner could see it.

"This him?"

"Yeah. That's him alright. Gabriel Menard. And let me tell you, this guy's got a rap sheet as long as my Christmas list." Stark said looking back at the screen. Charlie set the file back down on the table and walked over to where Stark and Banner were. Charlie watched the screen as it played a video of Gabriel with three other men and it looked like they were at some kind of warehouse district. It actually seemed kind of familiar to Charlie but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Stark continued. "Gabriel Menard had it tough when he was a kid. His parents divorced when he was five. His mother went through more boyfriends in a week than I have with…." He glanced over at Charlie and Banner. He cleared his throat. "Anyways, he was caught stealing several times and when he was seventeen he upped his criminal record. He was arrested for the murder of both of his parents. Later, I guess he found his one true love. Weapons. He buddied up with Adrien and began to sell weapons, including mine, all over the world."

Charlie soaked up all the information. "And I thought I'd seen some bad sheets at the FBI." Gabriel's was definitely one of the worst.

"We have a facial recognition system set up. Our system is connected to basically every camera in the world. It sorts out the unimportant videos and sends us anything that may be useful." Banner said indicating the screen.

"So if the bastard shows his face," Stark snapped his fingers, "we go after him."

"When was this video taken?" Charlie asked, crossing her arms and staring intently at the screen. Before anyone could answer, they all watched as Gabriel took out a gun and shot all three men without so much as a blink. Charlie cringed and stared at the screen in horror. Banner pushed a button on a touch pad remote and the video paused. He sighed and turned to her.

"Around 5:30…this morning." Charlie looked at him in shock.

"What? Why wasn't I informed? Did they send a team?" Banner walked over to a table and sat down.

"Fury sent Cap, Hawkeye and some agents out to the location." The Dr. told her. Wait. Did he say Clint went to the scene? But that's impossible because he was with her the whole time, wasn't he? This irked her a little but Charlie pushed it to the back of her mind. She would ask Clint about it later. Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked over at Stark.

"They didn't send you?"

"No because I had a hunch, which Fury didn't listen to, that Gabby would already be gone by the time we got there."

"Where's that?" She asked him.

"Charlie," Banner began but Charlie silenced him by raising a hand.

"Where?" She asked Stark again. His eyes flicked over to Banner quickly and then back to her.

"D.C." He answered, holding her gaze. Charlie's mouth opened slightly and she put a hand underneath her chin. She took a seat at the table and looked back at the screen.

"So. He was in town the whole time?" She chewed on her bottom lip. She knew that warehouse district looked familiar. She had been there before on a case a while back.

"Yes. And the men that he kills in the video were men that were sent with Adrien to get you the other night." Banner answered. "Guess he wasn't too happy when they came back empty handed and the news that his partner's neck had been snapped."

Charlie scoffed. "You can thank Barton for that."

"Oh, so what? You and Hawk aren't on a first name basis yet? I'm sorry to hear that." Stark said taking a seat across the table from her. "You know, we could be on first name basis if you wanted."

"She calls me whatever she feels like calling me, Stark." Charlie swiveled in her chair to see Clint walk into the room.

"Oh. Hey Arrowhead." Charlie said.

"See?" He said to Stark as he leaned against the edge of the table beside her. "Went to your room but you were nowhere to be found."

"Yeah I went exploring and found base of operations all by myself." Clint's expression turned sarcastic as he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Good job, Charlie. You've earned your exploration patch!"

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm." She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows at him.

"Get used to it, kid. There's a lot of that around here." Banner said. She turned to look at him.

"I'll keep that in mind." She turned back to Clint, remembering what Banner told her earlier. "I need to talk to you. Alone." She saw Clint's face go from confused to serious. He nodded and followed her out of the room. Clint pushed a button and the sliding doors closed behind him. They stood in the hallway. She put her arms on her hips and looked up at his face. "Why didn't you tell me you left in the morning?"

Clint looked away and shook his head as he started to pace small steps. "Who told you? Stark? Banner? One of the agents? I bet it was Stark." Charlie scoffed and shook her head.

"I have to admit. You did a pretty good job at hiding it. When I saw you in the kitchen, it looked like you really had just woken up and had been there all night. What happened? Did Fury give you a call and you changed in a van on the way to the scene? Then went back to my apartment and changed back into my ex's clothing? That's messed up, man." He stopped pacing and looked at her.

"Charlie. Listen to me. Fury did call me, yes. He told me that we got a hit on Gabriel and I was the closest to the scene. So I got up and went there, hoping I wasn't too late but I was. He was gone, in the wind. I waited there until Cap and a couple agents got there to take care of the mess. But I went back to your apartment, Charlie." He placed both hands on her arms and stared at her steadily. She looked up at him, keeping his gaze. "I went back because I knew I couldn't leave you alone. I didn't know if Gabriel was on his way to your apartment at that very moment. I rushed back." He paused for a moment as a couple of agents passed them. He waited until they rounded a corner and then he continued. "I held my breath the whole way there. I had finally gotten back and when I saw you were safe, I could finally breathe."

When he finished, Charlie just stared at him. She was lost for words. Any anger she felt towards him had vanished. She didn't know what to do. So she did what she thought was right at that moment. She reached up with one hand and placed it behind his head. She tilted her head up, closed her eyes and kissed him. It wasn't a light kiss but it wasn't rough. It was just right. He didn't kiss her back at first. Charlie had begun to wonder if this was the wrong thing to do. But his hands moved up her arms and cupped the back of her neck. He pulled her a little closer and deepened the kiss. Charlie's heart was beating so fast that she was pretty sure Clint could feel it pounding against his own chest. Everything happening so fast and she needed to breathe. She broke away and took a deep breath. She looked up at him and he stared back at her in silence.

Charlie felt her cheeks heat up and her eyes widened. She took a step back from him, removing her hand from behind his head and he let go of her neck. "I… I'm sorry." She looked away.

"Don't be," He said taking a step closer to her but she backed away.

"No. I, uh… I have to go." Charlie hurried past him and hit the button for the door so hard that her hand hurt. Charlie hurried into the lab and sat down at the table where all of the files were.

"Charlie. Are you okay?" Charlie looked up at Dr. Banner who looked at her with a concerned expression.

"Yeah. You look a little, a lot actually, red." Stark said, curiously looking over at her. Charlie looked at them through wide open eyes, not sure how to respond. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I, uh, have this thing," was all she said before turning her attention to a random file she picked up.

"Well okay then." Stark said before turning his attention back to the computer screen, swiping through different information, photos and videos. Charlie propped an elbow on the table and held her forehead in her hand. She stared mindlessly down at the paper, the words printed not registering in her brain. _What did I just do?_

(***********)

Three days had passed since Charlie had been brought to the helicarrier. And since she had kissed Barton. She avoided him at all costs. He had knocked on her room door and wanted to talk to her but she ignored him. She was careful when she walked down halls and looked into rooms before she entered. He never went into the lab though. Most likely because he knew Stark, Banner and the agents were in there with her, most of the time.

But right now, she was alone. Stark and Banner were called off to do Avenger stuff and Dunn and Ballard were off doing official SHIELD business elsewhere. Charlie actually quite enjoyed being by herself. She still didn't wear the uniform and today she wore skinny jeans, a grey pull over sweatshirt and grey converse. She wore her hair down and her glasses were propped on her nose. Her bruises had mostly healed and the cut on her forehead was barely visible. She could care less about what the agents thought of her. She didn't feel like part of SHIELD yet and she was waiting for the right moment to put the uniform on.

Stark had showed Charlie how to play music before he left. She plugged her iPhone in and blasted the music. She studied more files on Gabriel as she sang along to the music. She looked up Gabriel's moving patterns, his favorite hangouts and looked up any property he may own. Banner told her that SHIELD had searched every inch of D.C. but there was no sign of him. He also told her that SHIELD agents were stationed outside her apartment just in case. She checked out the most obvious places in France and came up with nothing.

Charlie got tired of sitting and stood up to look through the different files on the touch screen. She took her glasses off and set them on the table. She swiped through different photos that she'd seen so many other times. Charlie was pretty sure she could draw a detailed portrait of his face, right down to the ugly scar that ran along his left jaw line. She watched the camera footage that they had over and over again, studying Gabriel's every move.

The Maroon 5 song she had been listening to ended and "Turn me on" by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj played. Charlie sang along while she tapped her foot to the beat.

"Docta docta, need you back home, baby

Docta Docta, where you at?

Give me something

I need your love

I need your love

I need your loving

You got that kind of medicine that keeps me comin'"

Charlie started to bob her head and her body moved a little to the music. She still sang along with Nicki.

"My body needs a hero

Come and save me

Something tells me you know how to save me

I've been feeling weird, oh!

Oh, I need you to come and rescue me"

Right then, Charlie stopped what she was doing, as the chorus kicked in, and belted out the lyrics. She lifted her hand up close to her mouth, pretending there was a microphone in it.

"Make me come alive

Come on turn me on!

Touch me, save my life

Come on and turn me on!

I'm too young to die

Come on and turn me on!

Turn me on

Turn me on

Turn me on

Turn me on!"

The chorus repeated and Charlie danced and whipped her head around, her curls flying everywhere, singing as loud as she could. If she would have kept her glasses on, they would have flown off her face by now. This is what Charlie needed; a release and to have a little bit of fun. While she was dancing, she noticed someone leaning against the wall by the door. Charlie stopped dancing and quickly ran to the screen to turn the music down. She quickly swiped the volume bar to low and turned around. Her hair was a mess and she ran a hand through it to clear it from her face. Charlie saw that it was Clint who was by the door. He looked at her with a grin on his face. Charlie blushed fiercely and looked away. She straightened her sweatshirt which became disheveled when she was dancing.

"I didn't know you could sing and dance." He said, staying where he was. She looked over at him and cleared her throat.

"More like break glass and if you want to _that_ dancing, that's fine with me. Clint, what are you doing here?" She said running another hand through her hair.

"I haven't seen you in three days." He said pushing off of the wall and walking slowly over to her.

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I was trying not to see you?" She crossed her arms.

"Yeah I got that when you didn't answer your door and whenever you turned the opposite way in the halls." He stopped a couple inches away from her.

"Whatever." She turned away and looked back up at the screen. "What are you _really_ doing here?"

"We need to talk." He moved to stand beside her. She turned her head to look at him.

"You want to talk? Fine. Let's talk. Three days ago, I kissed you. I don't know why I did but at the time it felt like the right thing to do."

"What do you feel now?" Chills went up Charlie's spine. She didn't want to answer but she knew he wouldn't leave if she didn't. She met his eyes.

"I honestly don't know. There's… there's something there but I don't want to put a label on it yet." That was the honest to god truth.

"Nor do I want you to." He paused for a moment and then said, "But I want you to know that I feel the same way." This time, he was the one who broke the gaze. "For now, can we at least start talking again? Because I miss talking to you." He glanced back up at her face. Charlie nodded slightly.

"I do to." She gave him a small smile and he returned it. "To be honest, Stark's annoying the shit out of me with his cheesy punch lines and I can't understand I damn word Banners saying most of the time. And Dunn and Ballard don't talk at all." Clint chuckled and Charlie smirked. She looked back up at the screen. She noticed there was a little icon in the corner of screen that was blinking. "What's this?" She reached her hand up and tapped on the icon.

"What's what?" Barton asked, looking up at the screen. The screen was instantly flooded with different information about Charlie. Her file was displayed and there was nothing there she didn't already know. She swiped a finger across the glass and there was information about her parents.

"Barton. What is this?" She asked him, pointing a finger at the screen.

"I'm not sure." He reached up and swiped. Charlie heard him suck in his breath and she turned her head back to the monitor. There was a picture of Gabriel on the screen and scans of investigation files. There were also pictures of a car crash. Charlie's parents died in a car crash. She had been told that the car that ran her parents off the road had done it intentionally but they never found out who did it. She was never told that they had any suspects.

"This..." Charlie couldn't speak. She read the words on the screen. It said that Gabriel was wanted for questioning for the murder of Anne and Simon Anderson. They were unable to get him to come in because he had gone off the grid. Charlie covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god." She said quietly.

"Charlie?" Clint's voice wasbfilled with concern.

"I had no idea. This… the police told me that they had no suspects. But… they lied." Realization dawned on Charlie. "He killed my parents to get to me. He's been searching for me for longer than we even thought. But…" Charlie's feelings of sadness quickly turned to anger. "Fury." Charlie turned on her heels and ran right through the door. She quickly made her way to the flight deck, hoping he was there. She walked through the glass doors that led to the deck and saw Fury standing by the table. He was talking to Steve, Stark, Natasha Romanoff and Banner. She stalked over to the far end of the table and yelled, "Why!?" Everyone at the table, including Fury looked up at her. "You knew, you bastard!" She pointed a finger at him. "You knew he killed them! You knew he was after me since then! You knew EVERYTHING!" she screamed at him.

"Charlie. Calm down." Steve said standing up slowly. Clint walked in and took in the situation that was playing out.

"Stay out of this, Cap." She said holding a hand up, her gaze staying on Fury. "That's why you asked me to join. You knew that Adrien and Gabriel were still looking for all these years. Said it yourself, Director. Adrien and Gabriel have been on SHIELD's radar for a while now. You thought you could use me as bait so you could finally take them down, right? Did you send them an anonymous tip saying where I would be the other night? That's why you were there. You knew that either Adrien or Gabriel or maybe if you were lucky, both would show up! Well, I guess you got what you wanted, Fury! Barton snapped Adrien's neck so that's, what? One down, one to go, right?" By the time Charlie was done, her breathing was labored and her face felt hot. Fury looked at her with an unreadable expression. He turned his whole body to look at her and clasped his hands behind his back.

"You are correct." Fury said without a hint of guilt. Charlie stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes.

"Fury. Are you serious?" Clint asked. Fury turned his gaze to Barton.

"Yes, Agent Barton. I'm being very serious." Charlie bit her lower lip and smiled dryly.

"You sent that file to the computer, didn't you? You wanted me to see it?"

"I thought it was about time that you knew." Fury's gaze shifted back to her.

"Well you know what? I'm glad you sent it to me. You know why? Because now I want to find this jack ass even more. He murdered my parents and I want to take the son of a bitch down. And when we locate him, I better be on the next team that goes out. I want to be the one that puts the bullet in his head."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Hello again! Chapter 9 is here! Hope you all like it. But let me tell you: it was a pain in the ass to write. I had to re-read it several times because I'm horrible at writing action scenes. My back hurt so bad from hunching over the laptop all day, trying to get everything as right as I could. My pain is your pleasure! Wow... that doesn't sound normal. At all. _**

**_Shout outs: to my biggest supporters, miller330 and Texas Shewolf! And to ILoveAnime89! I can't express how much your reviews mean to me!_**

**_Comments: Hey Shewolf! I just might be able to fulfill your suggestion. I have a little something in mind. ;) BLEH! ENJOY!_**

After Charlie's tirade on the flight deck, she went straight to her room. Once there, she paced several times in the small living area. She needed a better way to let off steam than just pacing around alone in her room. Charlie needed to shoot something. She didn't bother using doors as she headed to the shooting range. She walked right through walls and doors, not caring who saw her.

Charlie finally got to the range and she thanked god that there was no one else in there. She went over to the gun rack and picked up a handgun. She grabbed a couple of new magazines and headed over to the first stall she saw. She placed the extra mags on the small stand that was in front of her. Charlie loaded the first of many magazines into her gun. She aimed at the target and fired until the magazine was completely empty. All bullets hit the area around the heart on the paper target. Charlie took the empty mag out, grabbed another and loaded her gun. She fired off the rounds, one after another, her anger slowly digressing. When she was done, she loaded the gun but didn't fire it right away. She just stared at the target and imagined Gabriel's face on it. She raised the gun but before she could begin firing, there was a voice from behind her.

"Wow." Charlie turned her head to see who was there. Charlie was surprised to see Natasha standing in the doorway, watching her. Charlie lowered the gun and turned her whole body to face Natasha. "You've got quite a shot." Charlie glanced back at the target and then turned her attention back to Natasha.

"Thanks. I had one of the top shots at the FBI." Natasha smirked slightly and nodded. "What are you doing here?" Charlie asked. Natasha walked over to where Charlie stood and leaned against the plexiglass wall that divided each shooting stall.

"Shootings a good way to relieve stress. Or in this case, anger." Charlie smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah well whenever I have to relieve stress or anger I usually take my motorcycle out and ride around D.C. at night for hours. Obviously I can't do that here." Natasha smirked again and indicated the empty magazines on the stand.

"That's a lot of rounds to fire in ten seconds."

"Yes. Yes it is." Charlie wasn't quite sure where this conversation was going. Natasha crossed her arms and let out a sigh.

"Okay. So I don't usually do the whole sappy feeling crap but God knows that you can't talk to Stark about feelings." They both laughed slightly. "But really though. Are you okay?"

Charlie gave her a weak smile. "Not really, no. I just guess… I'm still adjusting to the way things work around here." Charlie looked at the gun in her hand.

"I know how you feel." Charlie looked up at Natasha's face.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Charlie, look. Around here, keeping secrets is how this place functions. If the truth was flying around everywhere, SHIELD would pretty much crash and burn. What Fury did, yeah it wasn't right, but everything he does is for a reason." Charlie leaned against the stall wall and looked up at the ceiling. She rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. Natasha stared at Charlie with intense green eyes. "There's something else that's bothering you." Charlie tilted her head to look at her companion. She wasn't sure if she should tell Natasha or not. But if she didn't tell someone, she was going to explode.

"I… its Clint." Natasha looked at Charlie and nodded slightly, urging her to go on. "When I'm around him, I can be myself and it's nice. I don't have to put my armor up and hide. And when I…" Charlie looked back up at the ceiling and swallowed hard. "When I kissed him the other day, it felt right. But I'm not sure if I should be feeling this way about him. Ever since my parents died, I always had my guard up, never let anyone else in. When I finally did, it ended horribly and my shields were put right back up." Charlie closed her eyes and waited for Natasha to speak.

"Charlie. If you feel something, you're the only one that will know what it is. Don't be afraid to explore it a little." Charlie opened her eyes and met Natasha's gaze.

Charlie smiled. "Thank you." Natasha smiled back and pushed off of the wall.

"Anytime. I'll leave you to it." Natasha left Charlie alone in the range. Charlie bit her lower lip and looked at the gun in her hand. She looked at the target and raised the gun. She fired once and the bullet hit the target right in the head. Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She set the gun down on the stand and went back to her room. When she got back, Charlie kicked off her converse and plopped down on the couch, flipping through TV channels. She stayed in her room for a while and was falling asleep when there was a knock on her door. Charlie moaned and cursed when she had to pry herself off of the comfortable couch. She straightened her sweatshirt out and padded over to the door. She pushed the button that opened the door and it slid open. Clint was leaning on the door frame with his right shoulder, hands shoved in his pants pockets. He smiled when he saw her on the other side of the door and she returned it.

"Hey" he said.

"Hey." She leaned her shoulder on the same side of the frame and crossed her arms across her chest. Their faces were so close but Charlie didn't mind. She had kissed him after all.

"I'm sorry." He said sympathetically. Charlie closed her eyes and shook her head. She let out a sigh.

"It wasn't your fault, Clint. You didn't know." Clint placed a hand underneath her chin and tilted her head up. She opened her eyes to stare into his blue ones.

"I still can't help but feel a little guilty." Charlie gave him a weak smile.

"Well don't. It's alright. I think of what Fury did as a motivator." She removed his hand from underneath her chin and held it in hers.

"Do you need to let off some steam?" He asked, grinning at her. Charlie laughed.

"Sorry. Already did that."

"Oh come on. What I have in mind is way better than being stuck in that lab all day." Charlie looked away and shook her head, smiling. Then she remembered something.

"Oh wait. The lab. I left my glasses in there. I have to go get them." Charlie went back into her room and put her converse on. She grabbed her ID and walked back to the door where Clint waited for her.

"I'll come with you." Charlie pushed the button to close the door and started to walk down the hall.

"Be my guest." Clint smiled and followed her to the lab. They got to the lab and Charlie found her glasses where she had put them. She put them on and she thought she heard Clint laugh. She looked over at his grinning face and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. I just love it when you wear your glasses." Charlie blushed and looked away.

"Thanks." She mumbled. All of a sudden, an alarm went off from the main computer. Charlie looked up at the screen and saw an image blinking on it. She tapped on it and the image was of Gabriel. Time stamped at one minute ago. "Clint! Come here! It's him." Clint strode over to stand beside Charlie. He tapped on the screen and pulled up the location.

"It was taken at a wharf at Belle Île, France." Charlie was already out the door and running to find Fury. She heard Clint call her name but she didn't stop running. She burst through the doors to the flight deck and of course, she found Fury standing at the head of it.

"Fury!" She called from the doorway. "We found him!"

(****************)

The jet ride all the way to Belle Île seemed to take forever. Charlie's foot tapped nervously and she bit her bottom lip until it bled. She was finally dressed in the official SHIELD uniform and she wore bullet proof body armor underneath it. She had a gun strapped to each of her thighs and had some other equipment tucked into her belt. Her dark curls were pulled back into a pony tail. She sat in a seat next to some of the other agents that were sent along. Steve was wearing his official Captain America uniform and Stark was in his Iron Man suit, helmet off for now. Clint sat in the co-pilots seat and he was also wearing his uniform. A quiver of arrows strapped to his back and his bow in the black case that was by her feet. Charlie got up and stood behind the co-pilots seat.

"How much longer?" She asked Clint.

"Not long. Hey Cap! You might want to start going over strategy now." He called over his shoulder. Charlie turned to face Cap, who stood at the back of the jet with Stark.

"Alright people, listen up. Gabriel Menard is the target. We all know what he looks like. He was spotted at a wharf on the island of Belle Île. This specific wharf has a warehouse that we think he has been hiding out in for the past couple days. We shoot to kill, got it?" Everyone nodded. Charlie wanted to be the one that pulled the trigger and she would make sure of it. The jet landed as close as it could to the warehouse without arising suspicion. Stark took off to the skies and he would keep in touch through the coms they all shared. Cap led the way to the warehouse with Charlie and Clint right behind him. The other agents were dressed in black gear so that they blended in with the night. They silently jogged up to the entrance of the worn down building. The place looked like it was about to collapse any minute. Charlie thought that this was definitely the place to hide to stay off the radar.

"Okay. Alpha team 1 round left and Alpha team 2, flank to the right. Enter through side entrances and send men to the back to enter there. Hawkeye, Charlotte and I will enter though the front."

"You sure about that, Cap?" Clint asked.

"Very. Let's move people." The teams dispersed, silently moving through the night. Clint took an arrow out of his quiver and set it in position. Charlie already had a gun in her hand and Cap was ready with his shield.

"Cap?" Charlie whispered quietly.

"What is it Charlie?"

"Maybe I should look in first. Make sure he doesn't know we're already here."

"I don't advise it." He said shaking his head.

"Cap. I got this, don't worry." He hesitated and then nodded. Charlie walked over to the wooden door and slowly walked through it. When she was on the other side, she kept her back against the door and looked around. It was dark and the only illumination was the moon. Everything was silent which meant Gabriel had no idea what was coming. Charlie poked her head through the door and whispered, "Good to go." Cap nodded and spoke into the com.

"Is everyone in position?"

"Alpha team 1 is in position."

"Alpha team 2 is ready to infiltrate."

"Okay then. Let's go." Charlie opened the door quietly from the inside and let Steve and Clint in. Cap led the way through the dark and dank warehouse. There were puddles of water on the floor that soaked Charlie's boots. The occasional sounds of animals scurrying around them filled the air. "Anyone spot anything yet?"

"That's a negative, sir."

"Same here."

Charlie was beginning to wonder if Gabriel was here at all. He had to be. He just had to be. Just then, as the three of them quietly walked down a hallway, a tall figure darted across the end of the hall. "There!" Charlie exclaimed. She fired off two bullets and Clint shot an arrow but they both hit the wall.

"After him!" Steve yelled. They all took off sprinting. "Alpha teams. Target had been spotted. I repeat! Target had been spotted and we are in pursuit." They chased him up a steel staircase. "He's heading to the upper levels."

"Alpha team 1 copies. Heading up now." Charlie, Clint and Cap got to the top and stopped. They were all breathing hard and looked around.

"Where did that bastard go?" Clint said aloud. Charlie looked around frantically, afraid they would lose him. All of a sudden, they heard gun shots.

"Alpha team 1 has spotted target and has engaged in fire."

"Alpha team 1, where are you?" All of a sudden there was static on the other end of the com. "Damn it!"

"We need to split up!" Charlie exclaimed over the gun fire.

"No, Charlie. It's too dangerous!" Clint said.

"Clint. I have been through worse situations than this when I was a Marine. We need to split up." Clint shook his head.

"Hawkeye, she's right. And standing here arguing about it is just wasting more time. We need to move. I'll take the corridor to the right. Charlotte you head down to the left and Hawkeye, you go straight." Charlie nodded and Cap headed down the corridor. She turned to leave when Clint caught her by the arm. She turned to look at him.

"Charlotte. Be careful." She grinned at him.

"You too." He let go of her arm and they both ran their separate ways. Charlie could hear the gunfire getting louder and was pretty sure she was headed in the right direction. The hallway dumped her out onto a catwalk that over looked the ground floor. Charlie looked across the open area and to the catwalk on the other side. Several SHIELD agents fired at a figure that hid behind some crates. Gabriel. Charlie looked to her right and saw the catwalk wrapped around the whole way. She could easily get to Gabriel. Her boots made clanking sounds as she sprinted towards him. She rounded the corner just as Gabriel looked up. He saw her and darted for a doorway.

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled. She ran and crashed into him so hard that they both fell over the railing of the catwalk. They struggled in the air as they fell to ground. They hit the dusty ground hard. Charlie landed beside Gabriel and rolled to her side letting out a moan of pain. She sat up and looked over at Gabriel's unmoving body. Had he died from the fall? Charlie reached over to check his pulse. Suddenly, his hand reached up and grabbed Charlie's wrist. She cried out in pain and he pulled her close.

"You're the one that's caused me so much trouble." He growled in a thick accent.

"Maybe you should have given up on me then!" Charlie punched him in the face and he let out a yell, letting go of her wrist. Charlie quickly got to her feet and drew her gun. Gabriel lay on the ground, laughing as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand.

"Charlie!" Charlie turned her head to see Cap standing a couple of feet away from her. "Wait. Don't shoot him." Charlie's face contorted.

"Why?! He's a murderer and a psychopath!"

"Charlie. Just listen to me. Stark found a bomb. It's rigged to blow this whole place down. I'm pretty sure he has a detonator." Charlie turned her head to look back at Gabriel, who was now standing. He gave her a wicked smile and dug something out of his pocket. He took out a skinny black detonator with his thumb hovering just above the button.

"I'm so glad your friend found the bomb. Now I can get out of here alive. It must be so hard to come this far and leave unsuccessful. How sad." He said in a mocking tone.

"You're despicable, you know that?" Charlie said, her gun still raised. His horrible grin never faltered.

"You see this, Charlotte?" He ran a long boney finger along the scar on his jaw. "Your mother gave it to me. The bitch didn't die in the accident so I had to smother the life out of her!"

"Go to HELL!" Charlie shot him in the arm that held the detonator and he dropped it.

"Charlie!" Cap yelled. Charlie didn't listen to him. She stood over Gabriel and put her gun up to his head. He looked her in the eyes and laughed.

"Do it!" He spat at her. She looked into his eyes with rage. Her finger twitched on the trigger and her heart raced. Before she could pull the trigger, she saw something flying towards her out of the corner of her eye. It was Cap's shield. She didn't pay any mind to it though. It would go right through her.

But it didn't.

The shield knocked Charlie off her feet and she hit the ground. Gabriel quickly grabbed the detonator and got to his feet. Charlie grabbed her gun and sat up, aiming for Gabriel's heart. Gabriel backed away slowly, thumb just above the trigger. Charlie felt someone kneel behind her and a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Charlie. Don't do it. He will blow this place up with all of us in it." It was Clint. Something broke inside Charlie when she heard his voice. She removed her finger from the trigger and lowered the gun. She watched the grin on Gabriel's face widen and she felt the urge to raise the gun again but she resisted.

"Fools." Was all he said as his thumb pressed down on the detonator.

"No!" Charlie yelled at she raised her gun and fired several rounds that all missed. Gabriel was gone. Charlie quickly stood up and started to run after him but Clint wrapped his arms around her waist. She struggled in his grasp. "Let me go! He's getting away!" The sound of explosions in the distance was all around them.

"No, Charlie! We need to get out of here! Now!" Clint started to drag her away as she struggled. "Captain! Get out of here! I'm right behind you!" Steve nodded and ran for the exit. "Oh my god! Charlie, stop struggling! He's gone!" Charlie closed her eyes and shook her head fiercely. _He's right, Charlie. You need to save your own ass now. _Charlie calmed herself and stopped struggling. Clint unwrapped his arms from around her waist and grabbed her hand. They ran out of the warehouse together as the sounds of explosions chased after them and Charlie could feel the rumbling ground underneath her feet. They finally got outside when a blast of heat hit both of them square in the back and knocked them off of their feet. They flew several feet off the ground and landed yards away from the now destroyed warehouse. Charlie had a painful ringing in her ears and her back ached. She slowly opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. She watched as the warehouse burned to nothing.

Gabriel was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey all! Here's chapter 10! Hope**** you guys like it!**_

_**Visual Aid: I should have mentioned this last chapter but I forgot. Charlies uniform is like Maria Hill's in the movie. Also when I talk about eberyone elses uniforms, they are like the one's in the movie. **_

_**Comments: So just letting you guys know, I have no idea what I'm talking about when the missile is mentioned. I just looked stuff up online so that content I cannot take credit for. Also, I do not have any knowledge in the medical field. I'm still in high school after all. Haha. Also I just want to add something real quick. If you guys are looking for awesome Clint Barton/OC stories to read over the winter break, check out KoteSkirata's "18 Paper Airplanes", "Ghostmaker" and "The Lost Ones." She's an absolutely amazing writer! Anyways, ENJOY!**_

_**-Koty Lyon**_

Charlie just sat on the hard ground and stared at the burning structure. He was gone. She had gotten so close. _So close._ Charlie heard someone yelling her name through the sounds of cracking and popping from the fire. They sounded so far away, so distant. Charlie heard the sound of heavy footsteps and then someone knelt next to her. A large hand shook her but Charlie didn't respond. All of a sudden, her face was whipped to the side and her cheek stung. Charlie's eyes focused and she reached up to grip her jaw. She looked over at Steve who stared at her eagerly.

"Charlie! Snap out of it! We've gotta go." Charlie stared into his determined blue eyes and nodded. "Good." He looped an arm around her waist and she hung an arm around his neck for support as she stood. Charlie looked over and saw the other agents helping Barton to his feet. Stark had gone ahead and told the pilot to bring the jet closer so they didn't have to walk the distance. Cap helped Charlie up the ramp and eased her into a seat. They waited until everyone was on and Cap said, "Alright, Baker. Take us out of here."

"Yes, sir." The ramp closed and they took off to the helicarrier. Cap knelt in front of Charlie and placed a hand on her knee.

"You alright?" Charlie squeezed her eyes closed and nodded slightly.

"I will be. Thanks."

"Sure." He left her and went over to talk to some of the other agents. Charlie looked over at Barton who was unconscious. He had a cut above his left brow and some bruises on his arms. Charlie looked away and sighed. All of a sudden the jet went dark. Charlie gripped her seat as the jet turbulently dropped. Alarms sounded as they fell through the sky.

"What the hell?!" She heard the pilot yell. She saw Steve make his way up to the front of the jet.

"Baker, what's happening?" suddenly there was a surge of electricity and the lights came back on. Charlie watched as the pilot grabbed hard on the controls and pulled up.

"I need you in that co-pilots seat, Rogers!" Steve sat down and took the controls. Together, they worked to get the jet back in the right altitude. Charlie sighed in relief and leaned her head back to look at the ceiling.

"What was that all about?" She heard Stark ask.

"I'm not… Hold on. What the… We've been targeted. Missile is at a length off 1.397 m and has a diameter of 13 cm. Approaching fast."

"How did it lock in on us?" Stark walked up and stood behind Steve.

"When the power went out, our shields were down."

"Great." Charlie didn't think that this trip could get any worse but it just did. She knew what to do though. She got up and staggered over to the pilot's seat.

"How much time do we have?" She asked.

"Charlie,"

"I'm fine Cap. Baker, I asked a question. How long?"

"Not long enough." Charlie looked around and found an area of wall that wasn't covered with anything. The cool steel of the jet on her hand sent chills up her spine.

"Everyone get hold of a part of the jet. Now!" She yelled over her shoulder.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Stark asked.

"You're just going to have to trust me." Everyone touched a part of the jet. Charlie closed her eyes and concentrated. Her hand began to tingle and she could feel her power transferring to the jet and everything that was in it.

"Thirty seconds until impact." Charlie's head began to throb and she gripped the pilot's seat so hard that her nails poked holes in the materiel. "Fifteen seconds." She heard the concern in Baker's voice. The doubt. But Charlie blocked it out. She felt the sticky dampness under her nose as it started to bleed. She was exerting herself but she had no other choice. "Five, four, three, two… one!" Charlie opened her eyes just in time to see it. It was like it was happening in slow motion. The missile went through one end of the jet and right out the other. There was a loud explosion that rocked the jet. Charlie lost her grip on the jet and it was jostled around. She almost fell but she grabbed the pilot's seat and stood up. No one spoke. Most just stared at Charlie in disbelief. Then, the Stark let out a whoop of joy.

"That's what I'm talking about! Good going Chuck!" Charlie let out a choked laugh and lifted a hand up to her throbbing head.

"Anderson? You okay?" She heard one of the agents ask her.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm…" She didn't get the chance to finish because her mind went blank and she fell to the floor unconscious.

(************)

Charlie felt the pain before her brain could even process where she was. She slowly pried her heavy eyelids open and through blurry vision, she looked around. White walls surrounded her and she realized she was in one of SHIELDs infirmary rooms. She was wearing a white t shirt and white pants. She sat up in the small bed and tried to remember what had happened. Images of the warehouse burning down flashed across her mind. Others were of Cap and some SHIELD agents running over to her and Clint. They helped her get into the jet and then there was the blackout. Then images of the missile passing through the jet flashed across her eyes. After that, nothing.

Someone opened the door and Charlie looked to see who it was. A man, in his late thirties with dark hair and glasses wearing a white lab coat, walked in carrying a clip board. He smiled when he saw her. "I'm glad to see that you are awake, Agent Anderson." He walked over and stood beside the bed. He wrote some things down on the clip board and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a Mack truck." She said rolling her neck to the left and then to the right to get her muscles loosened up. The doctor laughed.

"That's expected. You have three bruised ribs, some minor fractures in your shoulders and dislocated your sacrum." Charlie grimaced when the doctor read off all of her injuries.

"Ouch." she said.

"Ouch indeed. You did quite a heroic thing on the jet. Unfortunately, you over exerted yourself. Using your power to manipulate something that large should have killed you." He placed the clip board down on the bedside table and put his stethoscope in his ears.

"Thanks for sugar coating it Doc." He smiled and lifted the end of the scope up.

"I'll need you to sit up and to take a couple of deep breaths for me." Charlie did as she was told. He did some other minor assessments and then left. Not long after he left, Director Fury walked through the door.

Charlie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What do _you _want?"

"I came to see how you were feeling."

"And…" she prodded.

Fury sighed and added, "To ask you about what happened last night."

"Thought so." Charlie said, adjusting herself so that she was in a more comfortable position for storytelling. Charlie recited the events of last night as best as she could. Fury listened to her very intently, never interrupting. When she finished she asked, "Is everyone else alright?"

"A few of the agents were hurt from the blast but other than that, everyone is fine." Charlie let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you know when I'll be out of here?" She asked.

"Doctor says you need to stay off your feet until tomorrow." Charlie nodded and let out a tired sigh. Fury spoke again. "What you did last night was stupid and irrational." Charlie looked up at him in horror.

"Excuse me?"

"It was stupid and irrational, what you did on the jet." Charlie opened her mouth to say something but Fury raised a hand to silence her. "But, you did save the lives of fifteen agents, including yourself, Agent Barton and Rogers. They will be in your debt. Thank you." Charlie gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome."

She thought Fury would have turned to leave by now but he stayed where he was. Charlie couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to ask her something more.

"Director. What is it?"

"You said that the Captains shield hit you when you were immaterial, correct?" Charlie looked at her hands that lay in her lap. She slowly nodded.

"Yes. It should have gone through me. But it didn't. All my life I've never discovered anything that I couldn't pass through. What is it made of?" Charlie asked looking back up at the Director.

"The shield is comprised of different metal alloys. Vibranium and adamantium to be exact. I guess we found the one thing that not even you can penetrate." Fury turned to leave.

"Guess so." Charlie had one more thing to add. "Director Fury." He stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her. "Gabriel saw. When the shield hit me, I mean."

"He was probably too caught up in his twisted thoughts to think anything of it."

"But underneath all of those twisted thoughts, he's a very smart man, Director."

"Yes he is Agent Anderson." Then he turned and left the room.

(************)

After Fury left, Charlie had slept the day away. The doctor had come by that evening to check on her again. She insisted that she was fine and he gave her some meds to help with the pain. The next morning the Doctor checked in at around nine thirty and then said she was free to go. Charlie changed out of her white infirmary clothing and into grey sweatpants and a black sports bra and tank. Charlie didn't head back to her room right away though. She headed to the training room. She remembered seeing balance beams in there and Charlie knew that would help her gain some of her concentration back. She didn't feel like shooting or punching anything. She needed to do something less violent to channel her emotions. When Charlie got to the training room, she checked to see if she was alone. She was. She walked over to one of the balance beams and hopped up on it.

Charlie took a deep breath as she slowly stood up on the beam. She started out by walking from one end to the other several times. Then when she became more confident, she began to do hand stands and cartwheels. Soon she was walking on her hands from one end to the other, while her eyes were closed. Charlie stopped as she neared the end of the beam and held her body still with both hands. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Charlie slowly removed one hand from the beam, keeping her body balanced with the other. Her back started to ache a little but Charlie tried not to focus on the pain. She alternated hands so that she was being held up by her left. Charlie was quite peaceful like this. Calm. Tranquil. Silence.

"Wow."

Charlie's concentration was broken by that single word and her balance was lost. Her eyes snapped open just as her hand fell right through the beam. She yelped and tried to regain concentration so that she wouldn't fall through the floor. A pair of arms caught her before she hit the ground. Charlie looked up into the familiar eyes of Barton. He grinned down at her as he held her bridal style.

"That was impressive."

"Shut up and put me down." He did as she requested and set her back down on her feet. Charlie walked over and grabbed a towel from a shelf. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and the back of her neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I went to the infirmary to see how you were doing but they had already discharged you." He walked closer to where she stood. "Then I went to your room but of course you weren't there either. I thought maybe you were either letting off some anger somewhere, so I came here. But I half expected to see you punching the hell out of a bag, not doing gymnastics."

"Violence isn't always the answer. Sometimes you just need to do something more, well, nonviolent." She said.

Clint stood in front of her as he spoke. "I heard what you did last night. On the jet." Charlie shrugged. "It was stupid and irrational."

"Oh no. Not you too!" She said giving him a bewildered look. His expression was serious.

"It was, Charlie."

"But if I didn't do anything, then we would all be dead right now. So I should be hearing a thank you."

"Maybe later." Charlie scoffed and wiped the sweat off of her arms with the towel.

"I bet I could do that." Charlie heard the smirk in his voice. She looked up at him as he indicated the balance beam. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Right. You probably couldn't even stand up on the beam." She said throwing the dirty towel in a basket.

"Is that a challenge?" He said inching closer to her.

"Clint, stop." His grin turned into a frown.

"Okay. What's wrong?" He said, crossing his arms. Charlie sneered at him.

"Like you don't know. I had him Clint!" She flew her hands into the air. "Gabriel. He was right there. I should have shot him but you didn't give me the chance." She jabbed her finger into his chest. He gave her an incredulous look.

"Excuse me? I should be hearing a 'thank you' from you right about now." Clint inched closer and Charlie took a step back. She let out a small sarcastic laugh.

"Why would I say 'thank you' to you if you wouldn't give me one?" She dared him.

"Well I mean, this was the second time I saved your life. And may I remind you; you left there out of your own free will. You could have run away after I let you go but you didn't." Charlie kept taking steps backwards until her back it the wall. Charlie found what Clint was saying hard to swallow because it was true. She wanted to go after Gabriel but she also wanted to live to see another day. When Charlie opened her mouth to protest, Clint slammed both hands against either side on the wall by her head. Charlie blinked a couple of times and looked at him, confused. She wasn't sure what was going on.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and kissed her softly. Charlie's eyes widened, surprised by his sudden action. But she eventually relaxed into the kiss and closed her eyes. Her mind went blank and all she felt was his lips on top of hers. He pulled away slightly and Charlie opened her eyes and stared into his.

"What was that for?"

"My thank you." He murmured against her lips.

"Oh." She said quietly. His lips covered hers once more and Charlie embraced it. She placed one hand behind his head and deepened the kiss. Charlie felt one of Barton's rough calloused hands trail down her arm which sent chills up her back. His other hand tangled in her dark brown curls. The kiss became rougher and more passionate. Charlie tasted something sweet on his lips. One of his hands reached up the back of her tank and lightly brushed the small of her back. Charlie reached up with her other hand and dug her fingers into his hair. This felt absolutely right. But then again, it felt wrong. She felt the urge to pull away but she didn't.

Out of the blue, an alarm sounded and Fury's voice sounded throughout the room. Charlie's eyes flew open. She removed both hands from Clint's hair and used them to push him away. His hand detangled from her hair and the warmth of his lips on hers faded. She looked away, blushing fiercely. She lifted on hand to cover her mouth and propped the other on her hip. She stared at the ground and listened to what Fury was saying.

"All personnel that are assigned to the Gabriel Menard case need to report to the flight deck immediately." Charlie glanced up at Barton who stared at her with a blank expression.

"We have to go." was all she said before darting out of the room. She hurried down the hall, not waiting to see if Barton had followed her. She got to the flight deck and sat down at the table next to Agent Dunn.

"Hey, Chuck." Charlie looked up at Stark. "You got that thing again?" Charlie's cheeks were still red and she could feel the heat. She looked down at the table.

"Yeah, sure." Charlie glanced up just as Clint walked through the doors. She watched as he sat down at the other end of the table. He didn't look at her once. Fury walked up to the head of the table and Charlie focused her attention on him.

"Alright people. Let's get down to business. Obviously the plan to take down Gabriel Menard didn't work out last night. He now knows that we are looking for him and that Agent Anderson is not alone. We can only assume that he will go into hiding once again, so that means we will have to start our search all over. Scrap everything and start from scratch. Oh and one other thing. He may know what Charlie's one weakness is." Charlie glanced over at Barton who stared right back. She felt her face heat up and looked away.

"Please don't keep it to yourself, Director." Stark said.

"Rogers' shield. It should have passed through Anderson but instead it knocked her off her feet. Gabriel Menard saw this happen and it could play out two ways: either he thought nothing of it or is devising a plan that includes vibranium and adamantium at this very moment. Now I suggest you all get back to the lab and begin searching. You are dismissed." Charlie watched as Barton was the first one to leave and let out the breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding. Charlie stood and walked with Banner and Stark to the lab.

_Here we go again._


	11. Chapter 11

_It was a day like any other. It was also my birthday. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were having beautiful weather in D.C.: blue skies, bright sun with a slight breeze. I had spent the morning at my brother's grave. His name was James. He died of leukemia when I was seven. He was older than me by two years. When he was diagnosed, my mother cried every day until he passed and my father spent his nights drinking whiskey from the bottle. After the funeral, everything turned out okay. My mother and father both looked on the brighter side of things: they still had little 'ole Charlotte._

_Everyone called me Charlie and I was okay with that. I like when girls can go by guy names because it's unique in a way. Anyways, I never told my parents about what I could do. The only person that knew was my brother. But that day, my sixteenth birthday, was the day I was going to tell them. I had kept it from them long enough and I decided I would tell them. I had no idea how they would react. I just hoped they wouldn't see me differently than the Charlie they loved and knew so well. Like I said before, I spent the morning at the grave talking to my brother. I told him how excited I was to turn sixteen and I told him how I was finally going to tell mom and dad. _

_Before I left, I had put fresh flowers on his grave. When I got home that afternoon, I took a walk around the peaceful neighborhood I used to live in. My parents were at work- they worked for the FBI- and I didn't feel like being alone in the house. I remember that I was thinking about how cool it was to have parents that worked for the FBI. Whenever people asked what my parents did, they would always say something like 'that's so neat, Charlie' or something like 'Don't you ever get worried?' If they said that I would respond by saying, 'Nah. My parents are like superheroes.' Little did I know back then that I would follow in their footsteps. My dad was the one who taught me how to shoot a gun. I'll never forget that. _

_Anyways, after my walk, I had gone up to my room, grabbed my copy of __A Thousand Splendid Suns__ and sat on the front porch. We had a love seat swing that we all loved to sit in. My Mother, Father and I would sit outside for hours upon hours at night, looking at the stars. I remember feeling the warm sun on my skin, the breeze blowing my curls and the noises of everyday outside activities. I had to have sat out there for at least two hours. When I had looked at the clock, I thought to myself 'they'll be home soon!' My heart had started to race in my chest. I was nervous about telling them but this was what I wanted. _

_An hour passed and I my parents had not arrived home. The sun was setting and the warmth from the day was fading. But I still waited outside for them to pull up and when they would get out of the car they would yell 'Happy Birthday, Charlie!' It wasn't like them to be late though. I remember that I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, when a black SUV pulled up in front of my house. Like the one my father drove. I stood up with a smile and stood on the top of the steps. But when the door opened and a man I did not recognize stepped out, my smile faltered a little. Another man got out of the passenger side and they both walked the path to my front porch. _

"_Can I help you?" I had asked._

_They two men wore suits and stood at the bottom of the porch steps as they looked at me. Their faces were filled with an emotion I did not understand at the time. I do now. It was anguish. Pain. Emptiness. A mixture of the most horrible sentiments. _

"_Ms. Charlotte Anderson? Daughter of Harry and Selena Anderson?" I nodded my head slowly. "I'm sorry to inform you that your parents have been in an accident. They were both killed instantly. Unfortunately, it looks like it was intentional." My world had crashed right then and there. I knew my life had taken a turn for the worse. The FBI had informed me on some details but did not disclose everything. Two days later, I was sent to live with my Aunt Linda in Pennsylvania. I shut people out. I was too afraid to let anyone in. Afraid to lose more people I cared and loved about. I finished my high school years there and in my first year of college, my Aunt passed. The emotional toll was terrible and I felt cursed. So cursed that everyone around me left me alone and cursed that I couldn't tell anyone about my ability. So I decided to join the military. I used my ability in the Marines and it felt good for a while. Then I left. Joined the FBI. That was when my life began again for the first time since my parents were killed._

(******************)

Charlie gnawed at the end of a plastic pen, staring at the computer screen. Her feet were crossed and propped up on the table. Her eyes hurt because she had been doing the same thing for hours now. She clicked through photos and videos and looked at the different time stamps. She wrote down locations and cross checked them to see if any were frequently visited or were a one and done kind of deal. Charlie wasn't wearing the uniform. She couldn't after the failed mission. Today she had on a black long sleeved turtle neck underneath a red leather jacket. She paired it with dark skinny jeans and of course, her black combat boots. Charlie was so focused on her work, she didn't realize Dr. Banner had been standing next to her until he cleared his throat. She stopped chewing on the pen but kept it in her mouth as she looked up at him.

"Hungry?" He said smiling a little and pointing to the pen. Charlie took the pen out of her mouth and examined it. There were bite marks in the plastic and it had begun the split. Charlie let out a sigh and placed the pen down by the keyboard.

"Now someone asks. I already ate the cap." She joked and got a laugh out of Banner.

"Want to go get something? I could go for a bite right about now." Charlie glanced back at the screen and chewed the inside of her cheek. "Taking a break will be good for you, Charlie. You've been here since seven thirty in the morning." He took a second to check his watch. "It's now six thirteen and I haven't seen you eat anything all day."

"But Fury said,"

"I know what Fury said yesterday. But since when do you care about what Fury says?" She looked up at Banner again and he had a small smirk on his face. It was infectious because she also started to smile. He was right.

"Alright. Let's go. Plastic isn't the best source of nutrients, anyways." Banner chuckled and Charlie's smile widened as she stood up. As they walked to the cafeteria together, Charlie's legs felt stiff because she had been sitting at that computer for hours on end. Charlie ended up getting a salad, chips and water while Banner got a sandwich and water. They sat across from each other at a small square table. Charlie tossed her salad as best she could and stuck a forkful of lettuce into her mouth. Charlie closed her eyes and sighed through her nose.

"Better than plastic?" Banner asked, taking a bite of his own food. Charlie swallowed and nodded.

"Much better, thanks." He smiled as he chewed and Charlie reached for her water. She unscrewed the cap and took a sip. Charlie glanced to her right and couldn't help but notice heads turned her way, eyes staring. The table was full of women agents and their heads were bent together and they spoke in low whispers as they full on stared at Charlie. Charlie turned her head away and blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to make out of what she had just seen. Bruce took a drink of his own water before asking,

"Why do you look very confused?" She looked at him.

"Do I have something on my face? Or in my hair? I usually don't wear my hair down but…" She glanced over at the agents who were still staring at her. Bruce followed her gaze and smiled.

"There's nothing on your face, Charlotte. Or in your hair, I promise. Just don't pay any mind to them." He turned his attention back to his food.

"But, Doc. They're staring!" Charlie exclaimed quietly. She watched as one of the women agents got up and started walking over to their table. Charlie whipped her head to look at Bruce. "One's coming over here! Quick, act normal." Banner raised an eyebrow at her as he chewed his food. Charlie ignored him and pretended to look busy with her salad. Charlie smelled the young women's perfume before she even took the seat next to her.

"Excuse me. You're the new agent, right? Agent Charlotte Anderson." Charlie looked up from the salad she was picking at with her fork. The first thing she noticed about this person was her huge green eyes. She was slender, with her blonde hair in a French twist and wore a skirted uniform. Charlie thought she probably wasn't a field agent. She was also very pretty. Charlie nodded in response and took a sip of her water.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" She continued before Charlie could respond yes or no. "Are you sleeping with Agent Barton?" Charlie spat her water out all over Banner's tray… and him. Charlie whirled her head to look at the agent with wide eyes, mouth agape. The agent looked disgusted but then smiled sweetly at Charlie. Bruce just stared down at his wet shirt front and shook his head. Charlie couldn't be bothered by that now.

"Say what now!" Charlie took a napkin and wiped her mouth off. The agent's false smile never faltered as she asked again.

"Are you sleeping with Agent Barton?" Charlie grimaced a little and stared at the agent in disbelief. _That was none of her concern, smart ass bitch! Even if I was, I wouldn't just tell her!_

"Why the hell would it be any of your business if I am or not?" Charlie asked, pointing a finger at the women. The agent just gave Charlie another fake smile.

"Oh it isn't. We were just wondering." She said sweetly. She stood and turned to walk away. "It was nice talking to you." Charlie's mouth hung open as the agent sauntered back to her table. Charlie saw as the she said something to the others at her table while nodding her head. They all looked back at Charlie and snickered. Charlie looked away and back at Bruce. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry that I did that." He chuckled a little and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." Charlie stood up and pushed in her chair.

"Do you think you could bus this for me?" He nodded. "Thank you. Again I'm sorry and what that agent asked, it is not true. So please don't say anything. Promise?"

"I promise." He said. Charlie smiled.

"Thanks. Again. And I'm sorry. I owe you!" She said pointing at him as she walked away. She turned her head to see the women agents watching Charlie as she walked out. Charlie raised her left hand and flicked all of them off. Charlie watched as their mouths dropped and Charlie smiled sweetly and waved with her right as her left stayed where it was. Charlie heard Banner burst out laughing. Charlie smirked to herself as she walked out of the café and lowered her left hand.

Charlie walked back to the lab by herself. She couldn't stop thinking about that agent and her obnoxious question. How dare she ask her something like that? Although…the thought of sleeping with him didn't repulse Charlie. But when he kissed her yesterday, Charlie ran away as soon as they were interrupted. Charlie hasn't even spoken to Clint since then. Now that she thought about it, she hasn't seen him around either. Charlie thought that he had been called off on a mission. She walked into the lab to find it empty. She read the clock and it was seven ten. Charlie looked out of the window that overlooked the flight deck. She could see the setting sun through the huge glass wall in the flight deck. Charlie decided it was time to retire to her room. She gathered up her notes and some files and shoved them into her messenger bag. She grabbed the USB out of the computer and told herself that she would work on it in her room.

Charlie shut the lights off and walked back to her room. She didn't feel like digging around for her ID so she just walked through her door. Charlie walked into her separate bedroom and flicked on the lights. She got the folders out of her bag and set them down on the desk that was against the wall next to the door. Her bed was in the back in the far right corner. Her closet was against the same wall as her bed only in the left corner. Charlie pulled her desk chair out and plopped down in it. She opened her laptop and turned it on. As she waited for it to boot up, she scattered the files on the desk around her. She grabbed her notebook and leaned back in her chair. She skimmed over the hand written notes. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Charlie grimaced at how nasty the thick mass felt and was suddenly desperate to take a shower.

She placed her notes down on the desk and went to her closet to grab a fresh pair of clothes: a grey tank, sports bra and black yoga pants. She walked out of her room and into the separate bathroom. She waited until the mirror fogged up and got into the steaming shower. She scrubbed her hair with shampoo and conditioner and then washed the rest of her body clean. She stood underneath the water for a little while, eyes closed. She couldn't stop thinking about how close she had gotten to Gabriel. Now, she was even more determined to find the bastard. Charlie got out of the shower and dried herself off and got dressed in her comfortable clothing. She ran a comb through her damp hair, which now extended to her upper arm. She hadn't realized how long it had gotten. When she was able to go home for a weekend, she would have to get it cut. The curls sprung right back after she combed them. With a shrug, Charlie left the bathroom and went back to her bedroom. She turned the lights off so the only illumination was from the computer monitor. She sat back down at the desk.

Time flew by as Charlie dug deeper into Gabriel's past and present life. Charlie had her leg bent up on the chair and rested her chin on top of her knee. Charlie's eyelids felt heavy as she stared at the computer screen. She let out an exhausted yawn and she glanced at the time in the corner of the screen. Twelve thirty four A.M. Charlie yawned again. There was a sudden knock on her door. Charlie lifted her head to peer out of her bedroom door and to the main door. She squinted at it, thinking if she did she could see right through it. Unfortunately, ex-ray vision wasn't the ability she was 'blessed' with. There were three more rapid knocks. Charlie rolled her eyes and stood. She stretched her muscles as she walked out of her bedroom and stood in front of the main door.

"Okay okay, you Persistent Percy." Charlie pressed the button on the wall next to the door and it slid open. Charlie sucked in her breath when she saw Barton standing there. He was dressed down in dark jeans and a black cargo jacket over top a grey t-shirt. Charlie couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes and the fatigue he wore on his face. "It's twelve thirty in the morning."

"I know." He ran a hand through his short hair.

"Where have you been?"

"I was called in to do a mission." Charlie nodded her head and nonchalantly looked down the hall. No one was out there. Of course there wasn't. Charlie crossed her arms and looked back at him.

"Well you woke me up." She lied. Barton raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down.

"No I didn't."

"What?" She felt her face heat up.

"Your clothes are hardly wrinkled, your speech is perfectly fine for someone who just woke up and your hair looks like you just did it." Charlie bit her lip and shook her head. _That's what I get for lying! _

"Okay. Then, tell me Nancy Drew. What _are_ you doing here?"

"To talk to you." Charlie's heart rate kicked up. "Can I come in? It would be better than standing out here." Charlie hesitated but nodded. She moved aside and let him enter. She pushed the button and the door slid shut. When she turned to say something, he wasn't there. She furrowed her brows and looked around. She saw movement in her room. She walked in and saw Barton standing at her desk, looking through the different files. She walked over and grabbed the file from his hand. She set it down on the opposite side of the desk. He turned his head to look at her.

"Okay, did you come to snoop or,"

"No." He said cutting her off. Charlie watched him through the darkness as he turned and leaned against the edge of the desk. He crossed his arms and though it was dark, she could feel his eyes on her. She heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Natasha told me what you told her." Charlie's mouth fell open.

"You're kidding me." Charlie shook her head and put her hands on her hips. She started to pace.

"No, not by a long shot. God, Charlie. Stop moving!" Charlie stopped where she was, which was an arm's length from where Barton stood. "You should have told me you had feelings for me."

"I did, Clint! Not long after I kissed you! But then you… you kissed me yesterday in the training room! What was that about? And don't say 'my thank you, Charlie.' Total bull shit!"

"Fine. You want to know why I kissed you?" He said standing up and walk closer to her. Charlie stayed where she was. She looked into his eyes through the dark. "I kissed you because I have feelings for you. Deep feelings that I want to share. I want to share them with you, Charlie." Charlie's heart skipped a beat as he placed an hand on her arm. His touch was warm and Charlie wanted to feel more. She looked down at his hand.

"I.. I can't." She said, closing her eyes.

"Why, Charlie. Why can't you?" He lifted her head up. She opened her eyes but avoided his gaze.

"Because. I know that as soon as I let someone in, I'll lose them just as quickly." She forced herself to look at him.

"Charlie. You can let me in. I'm telling you to. Let me in." He said quietly. Charlie opened her mouth slightly but closed it and shook her head. "Charlotte. I want you to let me in." She felt his face getting closer to hers and she wasn't pulling away. Something broke inside of her.

"Okay." She said quietly. His hand moved to the side of her face and he dragged her closer. He kissed her tenderly. Charlie closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him right back and she loved it. He placed his other hand on the small of her back, pressing her body closer to his. The kiss became much more passionate and heavy. Charlie took her hands out of his hair and slid the jacket off his shoulders and it fell to the floor. Charlie felt him pull at the hem of her tank. He it slid over her head and Clint threw it on the floor. Charlie's hands searched for the hem of his tee. He smiled against her lips and pulled away. He pulled his tee off and threw it away. Charlie rolled her eyes as he placed his hands on her bare hips and pulled her to him again. Their lips met again and Charlie placed her hands on his chest. She felt the muscle beneath her fingers and trailed up until her hands were on his shoulders. They started to walk backwards until they fell back onto the bed. Charlie felt his hands move up along her sides and it sent chills up her spine. He broke the kiss and his lips moved along her jawline and down her neck. Charlie dug her fingers into his hair once more. His lips found their way back to hers and she welcomed them. She felt his hands reach for her sports bra and….

There was a horribly loud sound that reverberated through Charlie's room. It caught Charlie off guard so much that one minute she was on the bed, making out with a man she so desperately wanted and the next… she was on the floor, underneath the bed. Charlie laid on the floor under the bed for a minute trying to figure out what that noise was. It was some kind of alarm.

"Charlie?" She heard Clint call. She rolled her eyes and wiggled her way out from under the bed.

"Yeah, I'm still here." She got out and stood, wincing at the loud noise. Barton sat on the edge of the bed, covering one ear with a hand. He smiled when he saw her and then broke out laughing. Charlie slapped his arm and yelled, "Shut up!" He stopped lauging and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked up at her with a grin. "Alright, Romeo. Put it back in your pants for a second. What's that noise?" Just then, Fury's voice sounded.

"Members of the Avengers Initiative report to the flight deck immediately." Charlie heard Clint let out a frustrated moan. He let go of her waist and stood up. He walked over to where his shirt was on the floor and picked it up. Charlie stood and watched him put his shirt back on. _Why was it that they were always interrupted?_

"Why would Fury be calling you guys so late?" Clint shook his head.

"I don't know." He grabbed his jacket and shoved his arms through the sleeves. Charlie reached for her tank on the floor and put it back on. Clint walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips. She looked up at him. "Maybe we could continue this later?" He said with a grin. Charlie rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Maybe." She said. He leaned down and gave her one last tender kiss.

"I'll see you later." He murmured against her lips.

"Be careful." She said as he turned to walk away.

"Hey, babe. I'm an Avenger. I laugh in the face of danger." He winked at her over his shoulder and left. Charlie laughed and sat on the edge of her bed. She smiled to herself and fell back onto the bed. She rubbed her hands over her face and then stared at the ceiling.

"Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting."

**_Hey guys! My messege is at the end of the chapter today because I really wanted you all to feel the change of POV. Haha._**

**_Comments: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Writing in first person POV was a really nice change for me. I thought that I would delve into Charlie's past a little and I wanted it to be a little bit more personal. So I changed it from third to first with the click of a key! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. So please, leave a review. Tell me what you thought about it or what you hope to expect to see in the future. There are people that have favorited and are following my story and I have not heard from some of them. Much thanks!_**

**_Shout outs: miller330, Texas Shewolf and to the anonymous guest (I noticed the whole heal/heel thing like a week after I published and thought to myself, wow. That's embarrassing! I was just too lazy to go back and change it. Haha)_**

**_Until next time,_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Hey guys! Chapter 12 is here and I'm sorry. It's a bit short. I hate to admit it but I hit a bit of a road block when it came to writing this chapter. :(_**

**_Shout outs: Texas Shewolf, miller330, ILoveAnime89, JeremyRennerLover (I DO TOO! HE'S GORGEOUS! Did you watch him on SNL? HE CAN SING!), Cooky Crumbla and wrong perfection (I saw that you love Vampire Diaries and Supernatural too!) Thank you all so much for your supporting reviews!_**

**_Comments: I actually don't really have any today. Haha. So, ENJOY!_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

"_I don't think I could do that, sir." Charlie said as respectively as she could to the Master Sergeant. He squinted at her through weathered eyes. Charlie swallowed hard. She began again. "With all due respect sir,"_

"_You listen here Sergeant Anderson. I wasn't asking you nicely. It was an order." Charlie tried hard not to roll her eyes. What they were asking her to do, it wasn't right. They weren't giving her any answers and Charlie started to become unsure of their motives. "All of your other missions have been successful and you did them all without hesitation."_

"_That was because you weren't asking me to steal weapons!" Charlie exclaimed, sitting forward in her chair and pointing a finger. She knew it wasn't her place to be saying such things to the Master Sergeant but this was ridiculous. Charlie took a deep breath. She put her hand in her lap and sat back in her chair. _

"_Not steal. Apprehend." Charlie heard the aggravation in his voice. She had stepped out of line but this couldn't just slid by._

"_Then why won't any of my questions be answered?" _

"_It is not your place to ask questions, Sergeant. You were given an order and are expected to fulfill it." Charlie couldn't help the scoff that came out of her mouth. Charlie thought the vain that was popping out of her forehead was about to burst. This wasn't what she signed up for, was it? No. It definitely wasn't. Charlie stood in her stiff uniform and pushed in her chair. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the Master Sergeant._

"_It's not an order if I am no longer in service. I will have my discharge papers signed and ready by tomorrow. Thank you, sir. It's been an honor." Charlie gave him a slight nod of her head and left the conference room, not sure where her life was going to go next._

(*******************)

Charlie sat up quickly in her bed in a cold sweat. Her breathing was labored and her hair stuck to the back of her neck. She had dreamt about her days in the Marines before and she always woke up this way. Charlie ran a hand through her hair and tried to slow her breathing. As she scraped her hair up, she looked at the bedside clock. It was already eleven twenty. That was the most she had slept in in a week. Charlie decided she should probably take a shower to wash off the sweat. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood. She stretched for a minute or two and then walked to the bathroom.

After her shower, Charlie wrapped herself in a towel and walked back into her room. She opened the closet doors and looked at what clothes she had. Clint had told her not to bring much but she ignored him. She didn't want to be stuck wearing a uniform all the time. She knew what it felt like to be stuck wearing the same thing and she hated it. She also knew she probably should start wearing the SHIELD uniform sometime but….

Charlie picked out the different components to make up her outfit of the day. She dried herself off and threw the towel on the floor. She shoved her legs into skinny jeans and looped a thick brown belt around her hips. She layered a grey tank over a white one. She grabbed her light wash jean jacket with brown buttons and put it on. After, she laced up a pair of brown leather boots that reached her mid-calf. She braided her long curly bangs back but left the rest of her curls fall around her shoulders. She added some make-up to her eyes and cheeks and was ready to go. She looked at herself in the full body mirror. She smiled. It had been awhile since she really took the time to dress herself all up. She had been so focused on finding Gabriel she didn't really care how she looked.

Charlie gathered her things into her messenger bag and left for the lab. Charlie prayed to god that she wouldn't run into any of those agents from the café yesterday. Because last night, well, let's just say would add fuel to their gossip fire. As Charlie turned a corner, she bumped into someone. Charlie saw that it was Agent Dunn. "Hello Agent Anderson." He took in her appearance. "Still not wearing the uniform, I see."

"I like to be original." She said before walking away from him. She heard him scoff and looked over her shoulder to see him shaking his head as he walked around the corner. Charlie wondered why he wasn't walking towards the lab. She shrugged to herself and s Charlie turned her head forward again, she got another surprise. Familiar hands grabbed her face and then someone kissed her. Charlie's eyes widened in shock and she pushed away. "Agent Barton, what do you think you're doing?" He smirked at her as his hands stayed where they were, his face close to hers.

"Kissing you," he said leaning in again. Charlie leaned away.

"Hey, no. Not here." Charlie said taking his hands off of her face. His smirk widened and he entwined his fingers with hers.

"Then where?" Charlie rolled her eyes and wrestled her hands from his.

"Nowhere." She answered brushing past him. She heard his heavy footsteps following her.

"Your hard to get a read on, you know that?" He was walking beside her now. She gave him a sideways glance.

"That's kind of funny actually. Someone once told me that I could be read like an open book." Once she reached the lab, she swiped her ID and the doors slid open. Charlie barley got one foot through the doorway when there was a loud popping noise. Charlie blinked a couple of times and watched confetti fall to the floor.

"Happy Birthday!" Charlie looked around at Stark, Banner, and Steve and was also surprised to see Agent Ballard there too. Charlie stood in the doorway, unsure what to say. Then she finally smiled and eventually laughed a little. Had she really lost track of what day it was and had forgotten her own birthday? Apparently so.

"How did you guys know?" She asked as she walked over to her desk and placed her messenger bag on the chair.

"It was in your file. Like everything else." Stark said. She smiled and shook her head.

"Well, I've been caught up in my work that I forgot my own birthday." She tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Which is why, Chuck, you will not be working today." Charlie was about to protest but saw Banner put up a hand.

"Everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday." Charlie smiled at all of them and nodded.

"Alright, alright. But I can't celebrate my birthday alone, y'know."

"Oh we know." Stark pressed a button and ACDC blared through the room. So, they all sat around doing nothing and talked. What did they talk about? Pretty much everything. Serious, funny, sad. Everything. Charlie found herself opening up to all of them. She told them about her time in the Marines, which Steve appreciated. Then she talked about why she went to the FBI and told them about solving different cases. She also told them some mishaps that she had in the past with her power. It felt good to talk about this stuff. The only other person that Charlie was able to do this with was Harper. Minus talking about her power.

Charlie sat on a table next to Barton as they listened to Stark tell joke. Every now and then, they would have to explain a joke to Steve since he wasn't up to date about everything yet. Charlie felt herself leaning her shoulder against Barton's and he let her. Suddenly, they all heard "Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine sound out over top of the ACDC. Charlie realized that was her cell. Charlie had to leap over Barton's lap in order to get to her bag. She dug around for her cell but there was so much crap in her bag it was hard to fish it out. Finally she found it and looked at the caller ID: Harper Zephyr. She turned to them waving the cell in her hand.

"Sorry. I gotta take this." Charlie walked out of the room and stood out in the hall. She answered. "Harper?"

"Charlie!" She heard her friend's familiar voice exclaim. "Happy Birthday!" Charlie laughed.

"Thanks. It's so good to hear your voice!"

"You too! I miss you so much!"

"Same! I'm surprised I even get cell reception here." Charlie said as she leaned against the wall. "How have you been? No incidents I hope."

"Nope. It's all good here besides work being totally boring without you." They laughed. "How about you? How's life as a SHIELD agent?" she asked, curiosity hinting in her voice.

"I'm still getting used to it all but I like it."

"Have you gotten anywhere close to finding that French dude?" Charlie sighed.

"Yeah, actually. But he got away and all I got were a bunch of bruises and a dislocated sacrum."

"Ouch! What happened to just shooting the guy or tackling? Tackling always seemed to be the best method for you." Charlie thought to when she tackled Gabriel so hard they both fell off the catwalk.

"Yeah, tried that. Didn't pan out so well."

"Well, I hope you catch the damn jerk soon. Then you'll be able to come home! Well at least for one weekend." Charlie nodded but knew that Harper couldn't see her through the receiver.

"Me too Harper. Um, hey. I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything, Charles."

"So you know that every birthday, I visit my brother's grave? And my parents'?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Do you think you could pick up some flowers from the shop near my apartment? The owner knows me pretty well so just say Charlie Anderson sent you to pick up the usual order. Then can you go and place the flowers on their graves? I know it's a depressing thing to do but I'm not there to do it and,"

"Say no more. I'm on it." Charlie smiled to herself.

"Thank you, Harper." She heard her friend laugh and then let out a sigh.

"Anything for my best friend! Call me when you know you're coming home, will you?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Happy Birthday, Charlie." They both hung up and Charlie stood in the hallway for another minute or two. She felt bad that she needed Harper to do that but there was no one else. This was the first birthday Charlie had missed visiting her families' graves. Before she went back into the room and said a small prayer. Then she took a deep breath and joined the boys.

(***************)

After a whole day of laughter and fun, it was finally time to settle down. It felt nice to take a break from working and to just relax. Everyone left one by one, wishing Charlie one last happy birthday. In the end, it was only her and Barton left in the lab. He sat on her desk as she gathered her things. He didn't say anything, just watched her. The last thing she grabbed was her cell phone and she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Leaving?" He finally asked.

"Yeah. I'm actually quite tired. I haven't laughed that hard in my life for a long time." She smiled a little as she headed for the door. He followed her.

"Can I show you something before you go?" Charlie stopped in the hall outside the door and turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"A surprise." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"You know what happens when I get overly surprised, right?" Barton waved a dismissing hand and dug something out of his pocket. He found whatever he was looking for and handed it to her. Charlie saw that it was a black blindfold. She raised an eyebrow and stared at it. "Is that necessary?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if you didn't wear it."

"Why don't I just close my eyes?"

"I don't trust that you'll keep them closed the whole time." Charlie hesitated before rolling her eyes and taking the blindfold from his hands. He smiled and she sneered. She raised the blindfold to her eyes and tied a knot behind her head. She felt Barton move behind her and place both hands on her shoulders.

"Barton, I swear. If you walk me right into a wall, I will kill you."

"Why would I do that if I know that you could just walk right through it?" He said in her ear. Charlie heard the smirk in his voice and she elbowed him.

"Hurry up." He laughed and guided her through different hallways. Charlie lost count of how many corners they turned and how many doors they went through. Finally Charlie felt something. The air around her got slightly colder and her hair was picked up off her shoulders by an out-of-nowhere wind. "Where are we?" She finally asked.

"Not yet." He said from behind her. Then, she felt him slowing down and they finally stopped walking. He took his hands off her shoulders and felt his shoulder brush against hers as he stood beside her. "Alright. Take it off." Charlie eagerly untied the blindfold. When she took it off, she was expecting to see light but it was actually quite dark. Charlie blinked a couple times to adjust her eyes and looked around. They were standing near the edge of the outside landing deck. Charlie turned her head and noticed jets and helicopters that were tied down. She turned her head back around and her breath was taken away. The night sky was huge and littered with stars. They were beautiful and bright. Charlie smiled as she picked out different constellations in her head.

"This is a much better view than from my fire escape." Her hair blew slightly in the wind and she put her hands in her pockets.

"You said how much you loved to sit outside at night and look at the stars." He said, crossing his arms. She looked over at him and watched as his eyes scanned the night sky. She smiled and looked back.

"I can't believe this. This is just amazing! Look!" She said excitedly, taking a hand out of her pocket and pointing. "See that there? That's The Phoenix. And that? That's Aries. The ram, my Zodiac sign." Charlie looked around the night sky for the one she wanted to show him the most. "Ah! There it is." She moved her hand to the right and pointed. "See those stars there?" She glanced at him and he nodded. "That's Sagittarius. The Archer." She put her hand back in her pocket and looked back at the constellation. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the smirk on his face grew. Charlie smiled to herself. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and he pulled her up next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he lightly kissed her head.

"Happy Birthday, Charlie."

(****************)

Charlie and Clint stayed out on the deck for at least two hours. They sat next to each other as Charlie pointed out more constellations and told him their meanings and stories. After, he walked her back to her room and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before she retired for the night. She walked into her room and dressed for bed. When she headed for the bathroom, she noticed something was sitting on the coffee table in the living area. Charlie tried to remember if she had placed anything there but came up with nothing.

She walked over and sat on the couch. Before she picked it up, she examined it with her eyes. It was small square box. No, not just a box. It was a white ring box. There was a bow on top with a small note tucked underneath. Charlie hesitated before reaching for the note. She unfolded the small piece of paper and read: _Happy Birthday Charlotte_, in scribbled hand writing that was not at all neat or familiar. If Charlie could take a guess on gender, it woud be male. Charlie placed the note on the coffee table next to the box. Shethen picked up the box and slowly opened it. Charlie almost fainted when she saw what was inside.

It was her mother's wedding ring.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Hello again! Here's chapter 13 and I'm so sorry it took forever to publish!_**

**_Comments: The reason it took so long for me to write this chapter is because I've been having some medical issues lately. So my imagination has been a little, well, de-imagified. That's so not a word. Anyways, I struggled with this one and for me, it's one of those filler chapters. _**

**_Shout outs: B The Shadow Ninja Samurai, archangelavyn05, miller330, jds523 and Sylph's Arrow (I agree fully! I even thought when I had C&C kiss in chapter, what, 8? was too soon. But I did it anyways! Haha. And to be honest, I had to look up what a Mary Sue was! :p) Reviews are much appreciated!_**

**_Okay, I'm done babbling. Ya'll have waited long enough! ENJOY!_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

After she had opened the ring box, Charlie felt like she was going to be sick. She dropped the box and ran to the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toilet, heaving several times. When it was out of her system, Charlie sat with her back against the wall on the bathroom floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her elbows on them. Tears fell down her cheeks and soaked the front of her tank. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she ran them through her hair. She stared blankly at the tiled floor.

_Why? _was all she could think. Then the light bulb burst in her head. Gabriel. He was the last one to see her mother alive. He must have taken the ring off of her finger when he… There was no way he was on the helicarrier. Which meant only one thing: there was someone on board, watching her, keeping tabs and reporting back to him. Charlie felt like she was going to be sick again. She wasn't safe here. She thought that this was her safe haven. Apparently not. Charlie slowly got up off the floor and leaned forward at the sick. She rinsed out her mouth and splashed cold water on her face before she walked out, using the wall to support her.

She glanced over to the coffee table but her feet wouldn't move in that direction. She slowly made her way to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed but not before grabbing a gun from her desk drawer and stuffing it underneath her pillow. She pulled he blankets tight around her body and watched the bedroom door. Every now and then she nodded off but was fully awake when she heard just the slightest noise.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as she waited for the sun to rise. But it didn't matter what time of day it was. They would always be watching her. Charlie just didn't know who. She had only been there a little over a week and she didn't even know the names of the agents that shared her same corridor. The possibilities were endless.

At about seven in the morning, Charlie had succumbed to fatigue and fell asleep. She was awoken about two hours later to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Charlie's eyes whipped open and her hand dug under the pillow for the gun. Her hand rested on top of the gun as she waited. They knocked again. She got out of her bed and cautiously walked over to the main door. She stood with her back against the wall, gun at the ready.

"Who is it?" She called.

"Me," was all the familiar voice said. Charlie sighed and lowered the gun to her side. She used her free hand to push the button and the door opened. Charlie was more than relieved when she saw Clint standing on the other side of the door. He was dressed in dark clothes and he wore a jacket that sported the SHIELD insignia on the sleeve. He also looked well and rested. "Charlie?" He asked as he looked from her exhausted face to the gun in her hand. "What…" he trailed off.

"We shouldn't talk here. Someone may be listening." His face showed confusion but he nodded and stepped inside. Charlie looked out in the hall before the door slid shut. Charlie saw him walk over to the living area and she froze. She didn't want to go in there and see the ring. But she inched closer so that she could observe Barton as he found the box where she had dropped it last night. He picked it up and examined its contents. "It came with a note." She said, indicating the piece of paper on the coffee table. Barton picked it up and read aloud.

"_Happy Birthday Charlotte_. That's it? No name?" He asked looking back at the ring. "It's quite beautiful." Charlie's throat tightened and she could barely say her next words.

"It was my mothers." She choked out. Barton's eyes looked up and met hers. She smiled sadly and looked at the box in his hand. "Her wedding ring, actually." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "It's him, Clint. Gabriel, I mean. There is someone here that is spying for him." Her gaze shifted to meet his once more. "And they left that for me. The cops never told me that her wedding ring had been taken. Then again, they never told me anything."

"What do you a want me to do about this?" He said indicating the ring. Charlie found the courage and walked over and took it from him. She swallowed hard and looked at the ring sitting in the box. Her mother had a preference for white gold, so that's what it was. A square diamond was in the center with smaller diamonds around the band. Charlie picked up the ring and slid it onto her right ring finger.

"I'm going to hold onto it for now. When I go back to D.C., I'll bury it at my mother's grave. Where it belongs." She said, her voice soft but icy as her mood changed.

"Are you sure?" He put a hand on her arm. Charlie nodded as she stared at the ring on her finger.

"Yes. All we need to do is find out who the hell's been spying." She said with a hint of anger. Charlie threw the box on the couch. She walked back into her room and opened her closet. She grabbed one of the SHIELD uniforms hanging there and threw the hanger on the floor. She stripped her night clothes off and stuffed her legs into the tight fitting pants.

"There's actually something that I've been wanting to tell you." Clint said as he leaned against the doorframe of her bedroom. Charlie looked over at him as she zipped and buttoned the pants into place.

"What's that?" She grabbed the jacket like top and slipped it over her head. The top hung closely to her slim figure and it was actually quite comfortable. She looked back up at him.

"Remember when we were interrupted the other night?" Charlie smiled at him and adjusted the collar of the top.

"How could I not?" He laughed a little and looked down at the floor.

"Well, Fury called The Avengers together to tell us that we had mole amongst us. There was a virus detected in the system. They downloaded almost all files that we have."

"Are you serious?" Charlie grabbed her boots that matched the color of her uniform and sat on the bed. She stuffed her right foot into the boot and zipped it up.

He nodded. "Yeah but since they downloaded files on random subjects, we weren't able to pinpoint what their goal was." He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Now we do."

"But, Barton. It could still be anyone." Charlie put her left boot on and looked up at him. "For all I know, it could be you." He raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. That was an impossible presumption. What would be a more logically correct guess?"

"Agent Dunn or Ballard would be my guess." Charlie shook her head.

"It couldn't be though. If it was, one of them would have alerted Gabriel that we were headed to D.C. the other night."

"You slept with your gun underneath your pillow, didn't you?" Charlie rolled her eyes and walked over to the door and took her gun belt off of one of the door hooks. She looked at Clint as she buckled it around her waist.

"I bet you sleep with an extra bow and arrows underneath your bed." She put the gun in the holster. "Besides, I wasn't planning on even leaving my room today."

"Yes, but you saw my lovely face and said to yourself, 'I have Clint to protect me.'" Charlie laughed and leaned her back against the opposite side of the doorframe.

"No. I said to myself, 'Sitting in my room cowering isn't going to get me any closer to putting a bullet in Gabriel's head.' I can protect myself, thank you very much." He smiled as he pushed off of the doorframe. He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her hips.

"Did I ever tell you how amazing you look in that uniform?"

"No but flattery is not going to get you anywhere."

"Oh really? Then what about last night? Do I get a 'thank you' for that?" His lips barely brushed hers. She smiled and then lightly, playfully slapped the side of his face.

"Nope." She said as she took a step back through the doorframe and the wall until she stood out in the hall. A few seconds later her room door opened and Barton stood in the doorway. She smiled at him. "Come on, Barton. Keep up." She turned and walked down the hall, headed for the lab. She heard him mumble something under his breath that she didn't quite catch, before he caught up to her. Charlie scraped her hair into a pony tail as they walked side by side to the lab. Her long curly bangs fell out and she swept them to the side. When they got there, Clint swiped his ID and the doors opened for them.

"Wait out here. I'll just be a sec." He nodded and stood by the door. Stark was sitting at a table with his feet propped up and he was watching something on a tablet. Banner was sitting at a computer, his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Ballard and Dunn were nowhere to be found. Stark looked up as she walked further into the room.

"Hey, Chuck." Then he gave her a once over and whistled. "Have I ever seen you where that yet? I'm pretty sure that I would remember if I did." Charlie chuckled.

"I've worn it once. Thought it was probably best I start wearing it now."

"I like that idea." Charlie shook her head and walked over to the glass wall that over looked the bridge.

"Have you seen Fury?"

"Your best friend? He should be down there somewhere." Sure enough, Charlie saw Fury walk up and stand at his post, surrounded by the monitors which displayed various charts and updates.

"How does Fury even see those screens?"

"I was told he turns." Stark said.

"That's exhausting." Charlie commented as she turned away and headed for the door again. She needed to talk to Fury about the mole situation.

"That's exactly what I said." Charlie turned and walked backwards as she replied,

"Great minds think alike, I guess." She watched as the smirk on Stark's face appeared.

"So very true." He replied. She smiled and turned back around and walked out the door. Barton was still in the hall leaning his back against the wall. He was talking to someone… and laughing. Charlie's gaze shifted to none other than the agent that had questioned her the other day in the cafeteria. She was in her skirted uniform but her blonde was down this time and Charlie saw her eyes were not where they were supposed to be. Charlie felt her face heat up and the jealousy rose up inside her. Charlie rarely ever got jealous because she hardly ever had a man to get jealous over. But did she even really _have _Clint. Charlie thought about how strange that sounded and shook it out of her thoughts. Charlie crossed her arms and cleared her throat. The two looked over at Charlie who suddenly felt very self-conscious in front of the beautiful agent.

"Charlie. This is Agent Belle." Charlie did a mental eye roll. Belle was another word for beautiful.

"Of course it is." Charlie said giving the agent a snide smile. "We've met before, actually."

"Oh yes. In the cafeteria." The agent said, returning the smile. She saw the agent eye the ring on Charlie's finger. Her eyebrows rose as she said, "Was that possibly a birthday gift from you, Agent Barton?" Charlie's eyes flicked over to him and saw him shake his head.

"I wish." He said giving Charlie a hint of a smile. Charlie returned the gesture and looked back at Agent Belle.

"And if he did, it would be none of your business. Now if you would excuse me, I'm on a tight schedule." Charlie brushed past the agent and walked towards the bridge.

"Good bye Agent Belle." She heard Clint say before he pushed off the wall and followed Charlie. She felt him put a hand on the small of her back and felt his shoulder brush against hers as he walked beside her. "I can tell there's no love lost between the both of you."

"She irks me." Charlie said as she looked straight ahead.

"'Irks' you?" Charlie cast Clint a sideways glance.

"She bugs the hell out of me."

"Why?" He asked, removing his hand from her back. Charlie rolled her eyes and looked ahead again.

"You know the saying, 'First impressions'? Yeah, well, let's just say she didn't make a very good one with me."

"Do you want to know what my first impression of you was?" He asked. Charlie couldn't help but say,

"Oh, do tell."

"This girl could kick some serious ass." He smirked at her and she laughed.

"Oh really? I thought it would be something like, 'I want to throw a knife at this girl.'" It was his turn to laugh now. They reached the bridge and Charlie stopped before they entered. "I think I should talk to Fury alone on this one. Not that I don't mind you coming with or anything but,"

"Don't worry. I understand." He placed a hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Try not to bite Fury's head off."

"Yeah, I'll try." He turned and walked back down the hall as Charlie entered the bridge. She walked over to where Fury stood. "Director." He turned his body to look at her. Like she said before, must be exhausting.

"Is there something you need, Agent Anderson?" She saw his dark eyes flick to the ring. Charlie clasped her hands behind her back and his gaze shifted back to her face.

"Actually, I have something you need. Some information that would be quite valuable."

"What is it then?" Charlie glanced around at the agents that bustled around the bridge, then turned her attention back to Fury.

"We shouldn't talk here. Maybe somewhere a bit more private." She watched as Fury's own gaze flicked around the room. He gave a small nod of his head.

"This way." Charlie followed Fury out of the bridge and down a hall. He stopped at a door and opened it. Charlie walked in and looked around. It was set up like an interrogation room: a table with a chair on either side and there was even a two way window. Charlie walked over to a chair put before she sat she asked,

"How do I know no one is in that room?" She said indicating the window. Fury glanced over at it and then pressed a button on the wall by the door. The window faded from black to clear and Charlie could see the empty room beyond. Charlie sat down as Fury took the chair across from her. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"What is this about, Anderson?" Charlie sighed and twisted the ring off of her finger. She placed it on the table. Fury's gaze flicked to the ring. "It's beautiful but what importance does it,"

"It was my mother's wedding ring." She said, cutting him off. "Last night, someone put it in a box and left in my room with a note saying happy birthday." She looked at the ring, remembering what it looked like on her mother's hand. "I was told that you have discovered there's a mole onboard."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Agent Barton told you that undisclosed information?" Charlie nodded her head and put the ring back on.

"I believe that mole works for Gabriel. Who else would have done this?"

"I know, Agent Anderson." Charlie's eyes whipped up to meet his one. "I found out this morning. There was an encrypted address that was sending information about Gabriel Menard to location we have yet to uncover."

"How long has this been going on?" Charlie asked.

"For as long as you've been here. I thought bringing you to the helicarrier would be safer for you. My judgment was wrong. That is why I'm sending you back to D.C. for the next couple of days until we can find this emissary."

"What? You think putting me back in D.C. is the safer option?!" Charlie said sitting forward in her chair.

"For now, yes. The only people that know about this decision are you and me. I'm trying to keep this confidential for as long as it takes. I will have a jet take you back to D.C. and once you safely return to your apartment, I will have agents stationed outside. If you must go somewhere, they will follow you."

"Great." _Freakin' perfect._

"Go back to your room and change your clothes. Pack anything you have and I will have someone sent to your room to get your bags. You are leaving this afternoon." Charlie's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe he was shipping her off so suddenly. And the one time she decides to actually wear the damn uniform she's forced to take it off! Fury stood and dug something out of his trench pocket. He placed a cell phone on the table in front of Charlie. "This is a burner cell I will use to call to let you know when you are able to come back." Fury walked to the door and opened it but didn't walk out right away. "Agent Anderson. I advise you not tell Agent Barton about this." He said over his shoulder before he left.

Charlie felt her cheeks heat up. "What the hell." She said with agitation in her voice. She stared at the cell on the table. Didn't Fury think Barton would notice that she would be gone? Whatever. She was going to tell him either way. Charlie grabbed the cell off of the table and headed to her room. The first thing she did when she got into her room was call Harper and let her know she was heading home early. After she did that, she changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

Before she packed her things, she had the urge to punch something and she was going to do just that. She put on a pair of Nike sneakers and headed for the training room. On her way there, Charlie thought over possibly going to see someone about her anger issues. When she got to the training room, she got one of the dummies and placed it in the center of the room. She wrapped her hands and started to punch the hell out of the poor dummy.

Charlie punched the dummy to a rhythm: left-right-left-left-right. She grunted as she threw punch after punch. She kicked the dummy occasionally, dodging invisible blows. Her leg connected with the dummy's head and it rocked back violently. Charlie paused and rubbed her wrapped knuckles, sweat running down her back and forehead.

"Maybe you should see someone about your anger." Said a sarcastic voice from the doorway. Charlie laughed and began to punch the dummy again.

"I thought the same thing while I was walking down here." She grunted as she punched it one last time. Clint walked up and rested his forearm on the dummy's shoulder.

"Why _are _you here beating up this poor man?" He gave her a broad smirk. Charlie started to unwrap her hands.

"Fury's sending back to D.C. this afternoon." Clint's smirk faltered and he stood up straighter.

"Why?" Charlie shrugged.

"He thinks it's the best option right now." She threw the wraps away.

"Bull shit. It's safer here."

"I tried to tell him that but he wouldn't listen. I just came here to let off some steam before I go back to my room and pack."

"I'm coming with you." Charlie smiled but shook her head.

"No your not. I shouldn't have even told you I was leaving but I think you and I both know your smart enough to figure out I'm missing." She put a hand on his arm. "Clint, I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

"That's the thing, Charlie. I can't stop worrying about you." She stared into his stormy eyes and smiled.

"I'll be fine." She reached up and lightly touched the side of his face. "I should go shower and pack my things. Can you catch me before I leave?"

"Of course."

"See you later." Her hand dropped back down to her side and she left to go back to her room.

After Charlie showered, she changed into skinny jeans with a black belt. She wore a sheer black blouse with a cami underneath which she tucked into her pants. She paired the outfit with black boots. She packed up what she had into her duffels. Someone knocked on her door and when she answered it, it was the agent Fury had promised to send to pick up her bags. She handed them to him and he left. She walked over to the glass wall in her living area and stared into the blue sky.

_Look out D.C. Agent Anderson's coming home._


	14. Chapter 14

**_Hey! Chapter 14 is up!_**

**_Comments: So of course, after I'm feeling better I get sick once again. It's ill season and my immune system hates me. I've already hacked up one lung and I sound like a man. Story of my life, I guess. So, this chapter might seem a little confusing at one point but everything gets cleared up by the end, I promise! I absolutly loved writing this chapter because I've had this in my head for weeks and I finally got to write it! Yay!_**

**_Shout outs: Ama'da Rose (thank you so much for pointing that out! I hate when I don't catch those types of things and its just _****_embarrassing_** **_ I am happy to report that it had been fixed!), miller330, archangelavyn05, B The Shadow Ninja Samurai and Anora Ascome! You are all lov_****_ely people! _**

**_Fun Fact: Did you know, Jeremy Renner was trained by Olypmic archers for the role of Hawkeye?!_**

**_That's all folks, ENJOY!_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

Charlie left soon after the agent had come to her room and taken her bags away. She had waited a little bit because Clint agreed to see her before she left. But he didn't show. Charlie shrugged it off and decided to leave soon after that. She was told to go to the main hanger where the jet that will be taking her back to D.C. would be waiting. Fury really was trying to keep this thing under wraps.

She found her way to the hanger and sure enough, there was a jet with the ramp already down. She walked over and stopped at the bottom of the ramp and looked around. There was no sign of Barton. Charlie waited for another five minutes and began to wonder if he had forgotten.

Charlie wore a deep frown as she turned and started to walk up the ramp. When she heard heavy footsteps behind her, Charlie turned around so fast that she almost lost her footing on the incline. She grabbed the jet to steady herself and looked up. She had almost fallen over nothing because it wasn't Clint who stood there. It was Director Fury.

"Glad to see you made it on time, Agent Anderson." He said.

"Yeah, me too. Although I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have left without me, since I am the main cargo. Is there something you need before I leave?" Fury hesitated, as if taking a moment to choose his words before he spoke.

"No. I just wanted to see if you were here. Be careful. Try to sort out your enemies from your friends, Agent Anderson." Charlie furrowed her brows at Fury's back as he walked away.

"Well, okay then." Charlie turned and walked up the ramp. The pilot sat in his seat, checking gauges and controls. "Hey, Baker." Charlie watched him look over his shoulder and smile.

"Hey, Anderson! Ready to high tail it out of here?" He pressed a button and the ramp closed.

"You have no idea." She said taking a seat and buckling herself in. This was her first time on a jet alone. The other times she had Clint or at least someone else with her. She sat back and tried to remain calm as they took off into the sky. Once in the air, Charlie leaned forward in her seat and propped an elbow on her knee. She rested her cheek on a balled fist as she stared out the windshield of the jet. Charlie was still bothered that Clint hadn't showed up. She _did_ ask him to see her before she left, hadn't she?

Charlie sighed and sat back in her seat. She closed her eyes for what felt like three minutes and ended up falling asleep. She awoke when someone started to shake her shoulder. Charlie opened her eyes and looked up at Baker. He smiled down at her and she saw her bags in his hands.

"Home sweet home, kid." Charlie unbuckled herself and stood. She felt a little groggy but once she stepped out of the jet and onto the tarmac, her head was cleared. She took in deep breathes of fresh D.C. air and stretched. There was a black car that Baker was loading her bags into. He closed the trunk and opened the back passenger door for her. "This is your ride. It'll take you right back to your apartment." Charlie walked over and got in the car. She looked up at Baker and smiled.

"Thanks for the lift."

"Anytime." He closed the door and she heard him hit the hood of the car two times and the car's driver sped off. Charlie looked out the window as they passed buildings that she had grown up around and passed on her daily commute to work. Finally, the car pulled up to her apartment building and parked. She thanked the driver and told him that she could get her own bags.

After she got her bags from the trunk she made her way up to her apartment. She dug the key out of her pocket and inserted it into the lock. Since her hands were full, she awkwardly grabbed the door handle and budged the door open with her shoulder. The door swung open and Charlie stood in the doorway, taking in the familiar surroundings. She took a deep breath and entered. She kicked the door shut with her foot and walked into the kitchenette, dropping her bags on the small table.

Charlie dug the cell that Fury had given her out of one of the bags. She looked down at it and thought about trying to get in contact with Clint. She shook her head and set the phone on the table. Charlie walked over to a cupboard and got a glass, filling it with tap water. She leaned against the counter and took a sip. It felt good to be back in her apartment.

There was a knock on the door. Charlie took another sip of water and placed it on the counter before heading over to the door. She looked through to peep hole and expected a SHIELD agent to be on the other side. But all she saw was what looked like a shopping bag from H&M that someone was holding up, blocking her view. Charlie stepped aside and opened the door.

Harper stood in the hall with several shopping bags in her hand and a broad smile on her face. Charlie smiled back and laughed. "What's all this?" She asked, indicating all the bags.

"Oh, just some clothes that happen to be your size." She said, walking past Charlie and into the apartment. Charlie shook her head and closed the door. She followed Harper who had plopped down into one of the dining chairs, bags by her feet. Charlie stood with her arms crossed.

"And why _do_ you have clothes in my size?"

"Because we are going out tonight, duh."

"I thought we agreed to watch old movies and eat ice cream when I got back." Harper waved a dismissive hand.

"Change of plans! Now, I picked out some really cute outfits." She said reached into a bag and pulled several pieces of clothing out. Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"You sure those are for me?" Harper rolled her eyes and looked up at her friend.

"Okay. I picked out really cute outfits for the both of us."

"Uh-huh. Alright, well can you just let me unpack first?"

"Yeah, of course! It's still too early to go." She continued to pile clothing onto the table.

"Where are we going anyways?" Charlie asked as she walked over to get her water.

"No need to worry, Best Friend. I got it covered." Charlie gave her friend a disapproving look as she got her glass and then went to the table to pick up her bags.

"Well, I'm going to take care of this awhile. Care to help at all?" Charlie already knew the answer.

"Nope." They said at the same exact time.

"Wow, you know me so well." Harper said as she ripped a tag off a shirt. Charlie rolled her eyes and went to her room, closing the door behind her. She set the bags down on her bed that she had missed oh so much. Charlie unzipped the duffels and took her time putting things back in their original places. She hung and folded clothing and put her personals away. By the time she was done, it was a little before three o'clock.

"Harper?" Charlie called.

"Yeah?" She heard her friend ask through the door.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Alright. I'll leave some outfit options on your bed and you can decide what you want to wear when you're done."

"'Kay." Charlie called back. She headed to the bathroom and hopped into the shower.

(***********)

Clint had been wondering around the helicarrier for hours now, looking for Charlie. Where could she have possibly gone? He looked around in the most obvious places first and then began to look anywhere her could think of. He even looked in the most ridiculous places but he still didn't find her. He decided to go back to her room and try again there. Maybe she was avoiding him but that didn't make sense.

He got to her room and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again and got the same result. He leaned his ear to the door and listened. He didn't hear any movement from inside. He sighed and walked away. In his head, he went over the list of people he had asked and he had pretty much asked everyone. Except one person.

Clint headed straight to the bridge and found Fury at his usual post. He walked up to and stood with his hands behind his back. Fury didn't turn as he said, "Agent Barton."

"Sir." He responded.

"Is there something you need?"

"I was wondering if you have seen Agent Anderson around. I know that you spoke with her earlier."

"Yes and that was the last I saw of her." Clint could tell Fury was leaving something out.

"Sir, if you,"

"I advise you stop there, Agent Barton. Don't dig your nose around in places you shouldn't be." Clint wanted to demand Fury to tell him where Charlie was but it wasn't his place. He took a deep breath and said,

"Yes, sir." He turned and walked away. He always became frustrated when Fury kept secrets. Good thing he knew where to find the answers.

(***********)

Charlie got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She walked out into her room and found three different outfits lying on the bed. Charlie stood and surveyed them all. Charlie made her decision to wear the following: a pair of black leather skinny pants, a loose gray tank with a sequined collar and a pair of grey, high heeled ankle boots.

Charlie was about to walk back into her bathroom when she heard Harper call her name. "Charlie? There's some weird phone on your table that's ringing." Charlie's heart skipped a beat. They found the mole already? Charlie wrapped the towel tighter around her and walked out of her room and picked up the cell.

"Hello?"

"Charlie?" said a familiar voice.

"Clint?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's me. I've been looking all over for you. Nobody knew where you were." He said with a hint of concern in his voice. "I got this number off of Fury's personal computer."

"Okay. When you say 'I got', do you mean 'I stole'?"

"That's not the point. I can't believe he sent you back to D.C. without telling me." Charlie frowned and furrowed her brow. She was very confused.

"Clint, what are you talking about? I told you earlier that I was going back." She glanced up at Harper who was looking at her in confusion. Charlie waved a hand and walked back into her room and closed the door.

"What? You're not making sense." He said over the receiver.

"_I'm_ not making sense? Clint, you came into the training room and I told you that Fury was shipping me out." She heard him let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, Charlie. You didn't. The last time I saw you was when you were going to talk to Fury." Charlie pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it in disbelief. This was making no sense. She put it back up to her ear and spoke.

"Okay, Clint. I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play but this is just,"

"Charlie! I'm not playing _any _game!" Charlie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You just rolled your eyes, didn't you?" He said in a low voice.

"So what if I did?" There was silence and Charlie wondered if he had hung up. "Whatever. You probably had some weird memory loss or something. You just need time to sort it all out. Look, I need to go. I'll see you."

"Charlie, wait!" He protested but she pressed the end button. Charlie stood and threw the phone onto the bed. There was a whistle from the doorway. Charlie looked up and Harper leaned against the doorframe.

"What was _that_?" Charlie shook her head and ran a hand through her damp hair.

"Nothing worth telling about. I should probably dry my hair and get dressed." Charlie saw Harper had changed her own outfit. She wore a short black jumpsuit with black tights underneath and it had no sleeves.

"Yeah. I'll leave you to it." She turned and walked back into the living area. Charlie closed the bedroom and door and stormed into the bathroom. She couldn't believe how unbelievable Clint was being. He couldn't just be a man and own up to the fact that he had forgotten. He really hadn't made any sense. He _had _been in the training room this morning. Charlie's brain started to hurt at she dried her hair. She decided to just stop thinking about it. She put her curls into a pony tail and swept her curly bangs to the side. She grabbed a bra and a pair of underwear and slipped into them before changing into her outfit. Her eyes sported a smokey look and she had a light pink gloss on her lips. She spritzed herself with some perfume and went to go put her shoes on. After, she walked out and found Harper sitting on the couch watching TV.

"How do I look?" Charlie said, as she spun around once.

"Hot. I'd tap that."

"Oh how I've missed your quips, Harper." Harper smiled and clicked off the TV as she stood.

"Ready to head out?" Charlie nodded and shoved her actual cell into her back pocket and grabbed her car keys.

"Just warning you. We might have some SHIELD agents watching our every move." Charlie said as they walked out of the building and to the silver Mazda.

"Don't worry. Where we're going, they won't be able to keep up."

"You going to tell me where that is exactly?" Charlie asked as they both got into the car.

"No, I'll just tell you where to drive."

(**********)

Fifteen minutes later, Charlie pulled up to one of the major night clubs in D.C. Charlie felt like she should have known this is where they would end up. "Harper, are you sure about this? That line looks awfully long." She said pulling her car into a parking space.

"No worries." Harper said as she got out of the car. Charlie shook her head as she followed Harper to the entrance of the club. There was a velvet rope and two huge men in suits stood by the door with clipboards in hand. Charlie could hear the pulse of the music from inside and could see flashes of neon colors through the doorway. Harper and Charlie walked up to one of the huge men and he looked at them with a stolid expression.

"Hey, Frank." Harper said in a flirty tone. "It's good to see you again. It me and plus one." Charlie watched as Frank's gaze slid over her body and Charlie felt nauseous. Harper just grinned at the guard and waited. Then his gaze returned to Harper.

"You'll keep your end of the bargain?" He said in a gruff voice.

"I have so far, haven't I?" He hesitated and gave a slight nod of the head. He whispered to his buddy and they moved aside. Harper let out a delighted noise and Charlie let her friend drag her towards the hypnotic music from within the club. The lights that were mounted to the rafters flashed in time with the rhythm of the music. There was a large dance floor where many people were dancing. Charlie saw that there was a steel and glass bar that had been built into an entire wall of the massive interior. Other than the flashing lights above, it was quite dark inside. Charlie felt Harper's hand on her arm as she led them to the bar. They ordered drinks and stood as they waited, watching the dancing sea of bodies.

"So what kind of 'bargain' did you make with Big Franky?" Charlie asked above the bass.

"Oh, y'know. Since I'm in law enforcement and he's, well, not, I told him I would help if he ever got into a predicament."

"Ah." Charlie took a sip of her drink, the alcohol leaving a warm trail down her throat and into her stomach.

"Okay, let's dance, I'm tired of watching." She said setting her glass down.

"But we just got our drinks."

"So!" She said, trying to drag Charlie into the mass of people.

"Oh, no. I need a lot more to get a lot more alcohol in my system to even make myself go in there." Harper rolled her eyes and let go of Charlie's wrist.

"Suit yourself!" Charlie smiled to herself as she watched her crazy friend join the crowd of moving bodies. Charlie eventually lost track of Harper and turned away. She leaned on her elbows on the bar, taking an occasional sip from her drink. She closed her eyes and listened to the deep pounding of the club music.

"Fallaces sunt rerum species." Said a deep, male voice from beside her. Charlie opened her eyes and tilted her head. A man, short dark curly hair, tanned skin and dressed for the occasion, leaned with his back against the edge of the bar counter. He did not look at her but rather stared at the dance floor.

"Excuse me?" Charlie asked. He smiled slightly and he turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Fallaces sunt rerum species. It's Latin and it means 'the appearances of things are deceptive.'" Charlie's eyes couldn't help but scan his handsome face more than once. She laughed slightly and turned her attention back to her drink.

"You should probably come up with some pick-up lines in English. Otherwise, the lady that you are trying to seduce will think you are insulting her." Charlie heard him laugh. He had a sexy laugh.

"I was not insulting you. I was simply quoting something." Charlie felt his eyes on her and she couldn't help but turn her head and look right back into beautiful green eyes. She also noticed he had a slight accent. She saw his gaze move to her hand and smiled when he saw the ring. "That's quite a beautiful ring." Charlie glanced down at the band and admired it.

"It was my mother's."

"I know." Charlie's heart skipped a beat and her eyes slowly made their way back to his. He still wore that charming smile but Charlie noticed his eyes were cold and empty. "I _was_ the one who put it in your room after all." Charlie felt like she was going to fall over and she quickly grasped the edge of the bar counter. "Hello, Charlotte. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Andre Menard, Gabriel's son." Charlie's heart jumped into her throat. "Don't look so shocked."

"You son of a bitch."

"My mother was quite a nice lady actually. Until she had her accident."

"An accident, huh? You sure Daddy didn't just strangle her?" Despite her cruel words, Andre's smile never faltered.

"You have a sharp tongue. I like it." He placed one of his tanned hands on top of one of her own. Charlie glanced down at it. His hand felt rough and cold, not at all kind. Charlie made her hand immaterial and watched as his hand now lay on the bar counter. His smile widened. Charlie wanted nothing more than to smack it right off his face. "Incredible. You know, I have a little ability of my own." Charlie looked up and couldn't believe her eyes. She stared right at the face of Agent Dunn.

"No," Charlie said quietly.

"Oh yes, Charlotte. You see, I have the ability to shift into any human being in the world. Shape-shifting if you will. But I wasn't born with this power, no. My father conducted experiments on me. Tried to make me into the world's greatest weapon and this was his result. It's quite useful actually, when you need to get information. It's unbelievable how people just trust others without thinking."

"Oh my god. That wasn't Barton in the training room. That was you."

"She's beautiful _and_ smart!" Charlie watched as his face shifted and morphed back into his own.

"You're sick." Charlie growled. He leaned in close to her face.

"I know." He stroked a hand down the side of her face and Charlie quickly moved away from him. She stared at him in disgust as he gave her a wicked smile.

"Stay the hell away from me." She said backing away towards the throng of dancing people.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Charlie grimaced and walked away from him as fast as she could. "I will find you!" She heard him call over the music. Charlie pushed through the mass of dancers, frantically looking for Harper. Finally, she found her friend, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away. She heard Harper's protests but paid no mind to them. Once they were away from the dance floor, Charlie looked around to see if any of the SHIELD agents had made it past the security guards at the entrance.

"Charlie, what the hell? You don't just drag me away… hey, what's wrong." Charlie looked around as she answered.

"We need to leave now." Was all she said as she spotted a man who was clearly out of his element. "We're in danger and I need to make sure you get home safe." Charlie grabbed Harper by the wrist and dragged her to the man. The man looked up as Charlie approached.

"Agent Anderson."

"Hi. I need to you to make sure she gets home safely." Charlie said, indicating Harper.

"Of course. Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Just not feeling the whole club thing tonight."

"Please, come with me Miss." Harper gave Charlie a doubtful look.

"Go." Harper sighed and nodded.

"Call me later?" Charlie nodded. She watched as the agent guided Harper to the entrance of the club. Charlie looked back at the bar and scanned the people around it. There was no sign of Andre. Charlie got out of the club as quick as possible and sped all the way back to her apartment. As she was opening the door to her apartment, she heard the ringtone of the cell Fury had given her. Charlie ran to her room and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She said, slightly out of breath.

"Anderson?" It was Fury.

"Yeah, it's me."

"We found out who the mole is." Before Charlie could respond, Fury continued. "We found Agent Dunn's body stuffed in a maintenance closet on the lower levels. Coroner says the body's at least a week old. Almost around the time we sent you and a team to take out Gabriel in D.C." Charlie sat on the edge of her bed and ran a hand over her face.

"Fury. There's something you should know."

"What is it?" Charlie pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a deep breath.

"He has a son."

"Excuse me?"

"Gabriel has a son."


	15. Chapter 15

**_The long awaited chapter 15 is here!_**

**_Comments: Yeah... Sorry it took so long to publish this. I've just been really lazy and didn't feel like typing it. I need to invent something that can type these chapters for me. Anyways, I'm not sure if all of you Jeremy Renner lovers out there have heard this yet but... he's going to be a dad! _**

**_Shout outs: miller330, Quileuta, archangelavyn05 and KevlarKitten for your wonderful reviews! I also want to thank the people that are following and favoriting my story! Such lovely people._**

**_ENJOY!_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

Charlie woke to the sound of someone knocking on her apartment door. She groaned as she lifted her head slightly to look at the clock on her bedside table. It read seven twenty-two and Charlie let out another exhausted groan. Charlie thought that maybe if she just ignored them they would go away. But the knocking became louder and more insistent. Charlie swung her feet over the side of the bed and grabbed her glasses and put them on. She stepped over the clothes she had worn last which she had just thrown on the floor. Despite the events of last night, once Charlie had gotten home, she had slept like a rock.

Charlie glanced in her body mirror before she headed to the door. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, her hair was one giant frizz ball and her night clothes were unkempt. She shrugged and walked out of her room and over to the door. "What you see is what you get." She quickly scraped her hair into a high bun and looked through the peep hole. Charlie saw Fury standing in front of her door and he didn't look the least bit happy. "Who is it?" Charlie called.

"Housekeeping." Fury said sarcastically. Charlie did not appreciate that this early in the morning. She undid the chain on the door and unlocked the deadbolt. She opened the door and slightly leaned her shoulder against it. Fury took one look at her appearance and said, "You look terrible."

"Oh, thanks. Just what every girl wants to hear. I'm sorry I didn't have time to get all dressed up. You want to know why? Because I was sleeping like every other normal human being at seven thirty in the morning." Charlie heard footsteps and saw Barton walking up the hall. Once he reached them he stood by Fury, hands behind his back.

"Perimeters secure, sir." He glanced her way.

"Great the gangs all here. Why don't you come in?" Charlie said sweetly as she moved away from the door.

"At least your hospitality manners are in check." Fury said as he walked in and went to the living area. Charlie glared after him and then turned her attention back to Clint. She watched as he stared after Fury until he disappeared into her apartment. She felt slightly uncomfortable just standing there. _Isn't he coming in?_ Just when she was about to say something, he took a step forward. He grabbed either side of her face with fingerless gloved hands and kissed her. It was hasty and quick but Charlie enjoyed it. He pulled away and looked in her eyes.

"I don't like to be hung up on." At first she didn't understand but then she let out a small laugh.

"Won't happen again." He smiled at her.

"Good." He said before giving her another quick peck on the lips. He let go of her face and walked farther into her apartment. She closed and locked the door before following him. Clint took a seat next to Fury at the dining table and Charlie took a seat across from them.

"I'm guessing your hear to talk about Gabriel's son."

"Among many other things yes."

"Alright. Well to get to the point, his name is Andre Menard and he is a shape shifter. He must have followed me and Harper last night and decided it was time to meet face to face." Fury folded his hands in his lap.

"They are smarter than we expected. As I said before, Agent Dunn's body was estimated a little over a week old. This was around the same time you and the team were sent to eliminate Gabriel here in D.C."

"We think that Gabriel wanted to be found," Clint continued. "He wanted us to track him to the warehouse." Fury took over again.

"While the team went in to strike, it would have been more than easy for Andre to knock one of the operatives out, take his gear and pretend to be one of our own men."

"Right, because they were all dressed the same and plus, now that we know he's a shape shifter he could have easily made himself look like the operative he took out." Charlie said, rubbing the back of her neck. "So, we pretty much gave Andre a free ride to the helicarrier?"

"Looks that way." Clint said, crossing his arms.

"In order to get closer, he took on the identity of Agent Dunn so that he could relay information back to Gabriel if we ever got too close." Fury said. "But that still doesn't explain how he knew you would be here." Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's my fault. I screwed up. He changed his appearance to look like Barton and I told him." Fury shifted in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Charlie looked over at Clint. "I thought it was you. He's very convincing."

"So it may seem." Fury said giving her a stern look. Charlie looked over to Fury and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright. Go ahead. Tell me 'I told you so'." He had told her not to tell anyone, even Barton but she did anyways and look where that got her.

"No because I believe you have now learned a lesson from this." Charlie sighed and rested her chin in her hand.

"Yeah." She felt like a three year old being scolded for drawing on the walls with crayon. "What do we do now?"

"We want to use you as bait." Clint said with a smile. Charlie rose an eyebrow.

"Are you serious?" She saw him shrug and her attention turned to Fury as he spoke.

"We want you to go back to wherever you went last night. We hope he will follow you back there."

"He could look like anybody though."

"Yes but you are the only one that knows for sure what he looks like when he's not pretending to be someone else." He did have a point. "Barton will keep his distance and keep watch."

"Fine by me. Harper and I went to a club downtown. I'll make a few calls so that I can get us in."

"Oh there's no need to put my name down on the list. I'll find my own way in." He smirked at her and she only shook her head.

"Okay. It's a plan, I guess." Charlie glanced at the clock. It was now eight o'clock. "The club only opens at nine at night." Charlie stood up and pushed her chair in. "If that's all, I'm going to go for a run."

(*********)

Charlie's sprinted the last mile back to her apartment building. Sweat ran down her back and she wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm. She blasted music through her ear buds and didn't take them out until she got back up to her apartment. She pressed pause and took her key out of her sweatpants pocket. She got into her apartment and used her foot to shut the door.

Clint and Fury had left. They needed to make sure everything was in order for tonight. Clint told her he would stop by before she left for the club. She had given him a key so that he could just let himself in.

Charlie went to her bathroom and took a shower. After, she dressed and dried her hair. Then she made herself something to eat. As she ate, she called Harper and apologized for last night. Then she asked if she could contact the security guard, Frank, and get her name on the list. Her friend said she would if Charlie would explain what was going on. Charlie did as best as she could to summarize everything. Harper said that she would make the call and they said their goodbyes.

Charlie went into her room and stood in front of her closet. She looked high and low for something to wear tonight. Charlie ended up picking a black romper. It had a haltered top and a shorted bottom. She decided to wear black tights underneath it and high heeled black ankle boots. Charlie had some time to kill so she did what she hadn't done in a while. She sat on the couch and watched TV. Charlie flipped through multiple channels before finding something tolerable to watch. She dozed off a couple of times and once the clock reached seven, Charlie decided to get ready.

Charlie wore her dark curls in a half up hair-do and applied dark eye shadow and a light lipstick. Charlie stripped off her day clothes and put on the tights and romper. Charlie grabbed her shoes and sat on the bed to put them on. She stood up and looked at herself in the body mirror. She smoothed out the wrinkles from the material that hugged her body. There came a drawn out whistle from behind her. She turned around and saw Clint sitting on the window sill. Charlie had no clue how he had gotten the window open or how he had done it so quietly.

"You look quite stunning." He said through a smile. Charlie placed her hands on her hips.

"I gave you a key so that you could come in through the _front door._"

"What's the fun in that?" The smile on his face broadened as she shook her head and turned away. She took a pair of earrings from a box and put them on.

"You sure he's going to show up?" She finished putting the earrings on and turned to face Clint. He was wearing black gear and there was a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. He shrugged as he closed the window. He moved over to stand in front of her and placed a gloved hand on her arm and looked at her face.

"I'm not sure but if he does, don't do anything hasty."

"How will we communicate?" Clint reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ear com. He held it out to her and she took it, placing it in her ear.

"I have something else for you." He said reaching for his quiver.

"I love presents." Charlie said and he smiled. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver and held it between his fingertips. He looked at it and the held it in front of her. She stared down at the arrow, unsure if she should take it. She glanced at Barton's face and he nodded towards the arrow.

"Take it." Charlie took the arrow from him and held it in her own fingertips. It was light and the surface was cool and smooth. It was made out of aluminum and as Charlie ran her fingers across the shaft, she felt grooves on the surface. Charlie took a closer look and smiled at what she saw. The symbol for Aries was etched into the aluminum and underneath it in script letters it even read _Aries._ Charlie's eyes scanned the arrow again and noticed the three fletching's, which are usually made of feathers or plastic, were made of the same cool metal of the arrow. Charlie saw that there was something etched on each of the fletching's.

_Harry. Selena. James._

"You… you did this? For me?" Charlie looked up at Clint's face with eyes that stung with tears. Clint placed a hand underneath her chin and smiled.

"I'd do anything for you, Charlie." She smiled back at him.

"Thank you." She leaned forward and closed the distance between them, kissing him tenderly on the lips. He welcomed it and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Charlie was mentally kicking herself. Why couldn't she just stay here with Clint and let the others take care of Andre and Gabriel? She didn't want to go to the club and be bait. But she knew it was the only way they would find him.

"Agent Barton." A voice said in her ear. Charlie pulled away and watched as Clint put a hand up to his ear. He cleared his throat before answering.

"Yes, Director?"

"Is everything in order?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then let's do this now." Fury's voice disappeared from her head and Charlie looked at Clint who stared right back.

"Ready?" Charlie nodded and placed the arrow on the top of her dresser.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

(***********)

Charlie parked her car and headed towards the club entrance. It was the same as last night: long line of people, pounding music playing from within and the two guards. Charlie strode over to Frank and saw his attention turn to her. She smiled sweetly at him. "Hello, Frank. I'm sure you got the call from Harper earlier today." He nodded and used a pen to cross off something on the clipboard. He moved aside to let her pass. She placed a hand on his meaty arm and said, "Thanks." She walked past him and into the lively club. Charlie looked around and there were twice as many people than from the night before. Charlie took a deep breath and made her way to the bar. As she did so, Charlie glanced up at the rafters that held the flashing lights. Charlie knew that Clint was up there somewhere. Watching, observing things. Clint's voice crackled in her ear.

"Stop looking up so much." Charlie looked away and smiled as she approached the bar.

"Sorry." She said into the com. Charlie ordered her drink and turned to look at the dance floor.

"Did I tell you how amazing you look right now?" Charlie smiled and shook her head. She spoke into the com as nonchalantly as possible.

"Hey. Now how is it fair that you can see me and I can't see you?" She glanced up at the rafters again.

"It isn't." She heard the smirk in his voice. Her drink arrived and she took a small sip from it. She scanned the crowd. "Spot him yet?"

"No. This guy's like a chameleon, Clint. If you ask me, he belongs in the circus."

"You know, I was in the circus."

"Really?" Charlie asked.

"Really. It was where I learned how to shoot."

"Well for a carny, you turned out pretty…" Charlie trailed off as she spotted someone who looked like they could be Andre. "Hey, I think he's here."

"Where?" Clint asked in a serious tone.

"About one o'clock, across the room." Charlie squinted at the figure in the distance.

"I need more specifics, Charles." Charlie watched as the tall man walked over to a door, open it and disappeared inside. Charlie dug some cash out of her pocket and laid it on the bar counter. Charlie started to make her way over to the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm not sure if it's him. He just went through a doorway. I'm going to follow,"

"No, Charlie. Stop where you are. If it is him, it could be a trap."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Charlie reached the door and went in. She heard Clint mutter a "damn it" under his breath and then the com went silent. Charlie closed the door behind her and blinked a couple times to adjust her eyes to the dim lighting. She stared down a long hallway that had several doors on either side. The walls and floor were made of white concrete and some walls were decorated with graffiti. Charlie began to walk slowly down the hall, checking each door as she went further. All doors had been locked so far. Charlie glanced back over her shoulder every now and then too. Charlie listened as the low beat of the music became more distant and all she heard was the click of her boots. Charlie was almost at the end of the hallway where she could tell it forked to the left and right. Suddenly, she felt her hair being swept aside and there was a sharp pinch on her neck. Charlie gasped and clamped a hand down on the stinging spot. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and another take the com from her ear.

Charlie wrenched her shoulder from the persons grasp and turned to face them. It was Andre. He gave her a wicked smile as he dropped her com on the ground and smashed it with his foot. "Hello, Charlotte."

"Bonjour Andre." He laughed at her.

"You speak French?"

"Nope. Learned that off a TV show." Charlie balled her fist and threw a punch. But Andre was quick. He grabbed her by the wrist and then shoved her back hard against the wall. Charlie let out a painful gasp as she tried to catch her breath. He walked towards her and she tried to strike again but he dodged it and grabbed her neck with one of his large hands. His grip was strong and tight. Charlie grimaced and reached up to try and pry his hand away but it was no use. His body was close to hers and she could smell the leather scent from his jacket as well as the cologne he wore. He turned her head to look at the area where it stung on her neck.

"What did you do?"

"Oh, I just injected you with a serum infused with vibranium and adamantium. This way you won't slip away from me." Charlie's heartbeat quickened. Was he being serious or was this just a fib? Charlie tried to make herself immaterial to get out of Andre's death grip, but she couldn't.

"How is this possible?" She asked him.

"My father made it. He's a very smart man and he was very confident it would work."

"Hooray for him. Does he want a ribbon?" Charlie said sarcastically. Andre snarled at her. He moved her away from the wall and then slammed her back into it. Charlie let out a painful cry and stared at him in hatred. Andre's eyes took a moment to scan her body before they came back to her face.

"You look ravishing. Did you get dressed up for me?"

"Go to hell." She spat. She tightly gripped his wrist that was attached the hand around her throat with both hands. He chuckled and she felt his other hand slide up her leg.

"Not for me then. Maybe him." Charlie watched in horror as his face shifted and changed into Barton's. It wasn't just his face that changed though. The hand around her throat felt like Baton's and he became the same height as well.

"How dare you." Charlie growled. Andre, who now looked like Barton, smirked in her face.

"I do dare." His voice mimicked Clint's exactly. "Tell me Charlotte, do you love me?"

"What?"

"Do you love me? Or rather, the man that I'm wearing?" Charlie just sneered at him.

"I'm going to kill you. And your father."

"Oh, but you would not harm me while I look like this, would you?"

"You'd be surprised of the things I'm capable of doing. And you are _not Clint._"

"You see, my love, that's where you are wrong. I _am _him. Down to the last hair, I am exactly like him." He leaned his face closer to hers until his nose barely brushed hers. "You're attracted to me as we speak right now. Your mind cannot tell the difference. All your mind cares about is that I look and sound like him and that's good enough."

"You're wrong."

"Then why did you tell me about going back to D.C.?" Charlie was caught off guard by this. He was right about that. She had thought Andre was Barton and slipped up. "Admit it, Charlotte. You _want me._" He said in a low, husky voice. Charlie squirmed but couldn't get away. Suddenly, his lips crashed on top of hers. The kiss was rough and not at all pleasant. She felt his hand slide up her thigh even further. His body pushed her back against the wall even harder. Charlie writhed in his grasp and tried to turn her head away but the strong hand that engrossed her neck prevented her from doing so.

Just then, something whistled through the air and Andre cried out in pain. He released her and Charlie pushed him away. She took a couple steps back and took in deep breaths of air. She reached up and lightly touched her tender throat. Charlie looked over at Andre who was gripping at the arrow that was lodged into his thigh. Charlie looked up at Barton who stood with his bow string drawn back, an arrow ready to be released.

"Salaud!" Andre exclaimed at Clint. _***Bastard***_

"Sorry, I don't speak French." Barton spoke to Charlie without taking his eyes off of Andre. "You alright, babe?" Charlie ignored his pet name.

"I'm fine, thanks to you." Andre still gripped the arrow in his thigh. Blood soaked his pants and his hand.

"Wow. It's like looking in a fun house mirror. Except _I'm _the one with the devilishly good looks." Clint said all of this with a straight face. Charlie rolled her eyes. Andre made a move to pull the arrow out of his leg and Clint made a _tsk _sound. Barton held his bow steady as he spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The moment you pull that arrow out, you'll bleed to death."

Andre looked down at the arrow in his leg and smiled. Why was he smiling? Just then, he snapped the end of the arrow and threw the broken piece at Barton. He turned to run. Barton released the bow string and the arrow flew towards Andre's back. Before she knew what was happening, Andre grabbed Charlie's arm and put her in the path of the arrow. Charlie leapt to the side but not fast enough. The arrow grazed her upper arm. Charlie grimaced at the white hot pain that flooded her arm.

Charlie watched as Andre ran around the corner and down another hall. Charlie leaned her back against the wall and gripped her bleeding arm. Barton sprinted up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Charlie,"

"Clint, go! I'm fine!" Charlie saw that he was about to protest and cut him off. "Go, god damn it!" Clint didn't give her another glance as he sprinted off after Andre. Charlie slid down the wall until she sat on the floor. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She gripped her arm as tightly as she could. "Get the son of a bitch."


	16. Chapter 16

**_Here is the very long, loong, looong awaited chapter 16. _**

**_Comments: Yepp. I finally wrote it. Umm few things. If you don't know what the WWII Memorial in D.C. looks like, google it before you read this chapter. And I would hope that you all know what the Lincoln Memorial looks like... If not, google that too! Also, this chapter is kinda a filler but I tried to make it a bit more interesting. Next chapter will be better!_**

**_Shout outs: archangelavyn05, miller330, the anonymous guest and hogwartswonderland for their reviews! And thanks to those that are following (Reached 100!) and have favorited my story!_**

**_ENJOY_**

**_-Koty Lyon_**

Charlie sat on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. It was late evening and most of the tourists had cleared. Only a couple of people made the climb up the 58 steps to the memorial, with the occasional jogger passing by. Charlie gazed at the reflection of the setting sun in Reflecting Pool. Charlie reached up and gently rubbed her sore arm.

Last night had gone by in a blur. After Clint had left to chase down Andre, he had called in back-up. Charlie had stayed where she was until SHIELD agents found her. They led her outside and took her to a black surveillance van. The back doors were opened and they had her sit as they tended to her arm. She kept asking where Clint was and if he had apprehended Andre but no one answered her.

When they had finished wrapping her arm up, Charlie saw a familiar figure striding over to them with hunched shoulders and clenched fists. Charlie knew just by his posture that what he was going to tell her wasn't what she wanted to hear. Clint stood beside her and rubbed one of his hands over his face.

His bow was slung across his body and Charlie had noticed that his quiver was less full than earlier that night. Charlie could tell that he was angry. She had placed her hand on his arm thinking it would possibly reassure him. He face was stolid as he looked over at her. "Like you said: he's a chameleon." Was all he said before he turned and walked away. That was the last she saw of him that night.

Now, she sat watching the sunset. Charlie usually came to the Lincoln Memorial when she needed to think or just needed to get away. She wasn't sure if it was the safest thing to be out by herself but she really needed it.

"Is this seat taken?" Charlie turned her head to her right and looked up. Clint stood there with an expectant expression on his face. He wore dark jeans and a black tee opposed to her black yoga pants and white pull-over sweatshirt.

"Hey there, stranger." She said before turning her attention back to the sunset.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." He said before sitting on the marble step next to her. He slightly bumped her arm and she made a small painful sound. "I'm sorry. How _is _your arm by the way?"

"It'll heal." Charlie could feel his eyes focused on her face.

"You're upset." Charlie shook her head and sighed.

"No. I'm just… I just really need a vacation." Clint laughed slightly. His attention turned to the setting sun.

"You and me both."

"Where did you go last night?"

"I needed to cool off. I was on edge and I needed some time." Charlie silently nodded her head not sure if he saw or not. "You should probably get home before it gets too dark." Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She nodded and he stood up, extending his hand. "C'mon. I'll walk you." She smiled up at him and took his hand, getting to her feet. They walked down the marble steps and strode side by side along the Reflecting Pool.

"It's okay, y'know." Charlie said crossing her arms and staring down at her feet. Clint jammed his hands into his jeans pockets.

"What is?"

"Andre getting away. I don't blame you in any way. We'll get him." Charlie heard him laugh a little. She turned her head to look at his profile.

"Aren't you just Miss Optimistic?" Charlie looked forward again and smiled.

"I have to be." They walked past the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. Charlie glanced at it, knowing that somewhere on that wall was her Grandfathers name. They walked in silence all the way to the National World War II Memorial. The area was surprisingly empty and they were the only two around. Besides the steady flow of traffic, the only sound was of the two fountains on either side of the pool that were surrounded by small arches of water.

Charlie and Clint walked along the Pacific side of the memorial. When they got to the Pacific arch, Charlie walked over to the terrace that over looked the pool and the Atlantic side. She propped her elbows on the granite edge of the terrace and leaned forward. The lights in the fountains turned on, illuminating the sparkling water through the falling darkness. Clint followed her lead and leaned forward on the edge next to her.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" She asked.

"Do you come here often?" Charlie nodded.

"Some people may find it sad but I think it's peaceful. Without all the tourists that is." Charlie turned her head slightly to look at her companion. "So, last night. You said you were in the circus." He looked at her with a curious expression.

"I did."

"Were you in it your whole life?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Yes but this cat has seven out of nine lives left, thanks to you." They both laughed.

"No, I wasn't in the circus my whole life but it did take up a big part of it. I had a great teacher who taught me how to shoot."

"Was it always a bow and arrow?"

"Not always. I first started out with knives. Once I got my aim perfect with knives, my teacher handed me a bow and said, "It's all about control and relaxation. Now shoot the target in the bull's eye."

"Did you?"

"Not even close."

"Now look at you: world's best marksman working for SHIELD."

"I didn't get on SHIELD's radar on good terms though." Charlie put her hand on top of his.

"Save that story for another time."

"Or you could just read my file." Charlie smiled and leaned closer to him.

"Where's the fun in that?" He smiled back at her and closed the gap between them. He brought one of his hands up and cupped the side of her face. The kiss was affectionate and light. Someone cleared their throat behind them. Charlie was the first one to pull away. Clint's hand fell away from her face as they both turned to see who had joined them.

A young man in a suit stood there with his hands clasped in front of him. His brown hair was buzzed and he sported some stubble on his face. His green eyes gleamed in the fading light of the sun. Charlie couldn't deny that he was good looking. And by the way he was looking at her, Charlie could sense he was thinking almost the same thing about her. Even if she was wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Charlie shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Agent Anderson. I'm here to escort you to your ride."

"My ride?" Charlie said crossing her arms and furrowing her brow.

"Yes. I've been instructed to take you to a private jet we have waiting for you and take you to New York. Director Fury wants you to stay at Stark Tower until the threat of the Menards is dealt with. We've been to your apartment and packed some of your things already."

"I'm sorry Agent…"

"Cohan. Agent David Cohan." He said with a smirk.

"Well Agent Cohan. You've wasted your time coming here because you see; I'm having some trust issues lately. The only people that I trust at the time is Agent Barton here,"

"I've noticed." Cohan interrupted casting a sideways glance at Clint. Charlie looked over at Barton and saw him glaring at the agent. _Did they know each other? _Charlie ignored him.

"And the Director himself."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time, Agent Anderson." Fury walked up and stood beside Agent Cohan. "Agent Barton." Charlie felt Clint's body tense.

"Director. How is sending me to New York, where there are millions of people, any safer than staying here?"

"Who said that you would be walking around New York? You will be staying at Stark Tower, until you are needed in the field."

"You're going to shack me up?"

"Stark Tower has all the resources to keep you safe. It would make this a lot easier if you wouldn't argue about the matter."

"Charlie," Charlie looked at Clint. "Go." Charlie wanted to argue but he gave her a stern look. She pinched the bridge of her nose and turned her head back to look at Fury.

"Fine. I'll go but only if Barton goes."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Agent Barton is being sent on another mission." Charlie saw Agent Cohan's eyes slide from herself to Clint. "You will be debriefed while on your way to your destination." Charlie knew Clint couldn't refuse orders but she wanted him to go with her.

"Yes, sir."

"Agent Anderson, if you would come this way. The jet is waiting." Agent Cohan said. Charlie sighed and nodded. Charlie felt Clint grab her hand and she turned to face him before she left.

"Be careful."

"Hey, I'm going to be living at Stark Tower. I think I'll be alright." She gave him a small smile and let her hand drift out of his. Fury had already started to walk away but Agent Cohan waited for her. He walked beside her and set a hand on the small of her back. The touch made her heart quicken, not sure if it was the good kind of heart race or bad. She started to walk faster until the hand drifted away from her back. Charlie could have sworn she heard the agent laugh under his breath.

(**********)

The jet landed on the helipad on top of Stark Tower around midnight. Charlie was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. She knew as soon as her head hit a pillow, she'd be out like a light. Fury needed to return back to helicarrier but he reassured her that Agent Cohan would stay with her. _Great._

They entered an elevator that took them down into the heart of the tower. Once the elevator doors slid open, they were greeted by none other than Tony Stark.

"Chuck! Welcome to my humble abode."

"Thanks Tony. I was told this is the safest place to be."

"You were told correct." Tony looked over at Agent Cohan. "You are…"

"Agent David Cohan. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD."

"Of course you are." Tony said in a bored voice. "Jarvis, will you guide Miss Anderson to her room?"

"Yes, Sir. Miss Anderson, would you please take the elevator to the floor above?"

"Sure." Charlie responded feeling like she was talking to herself. "See you, Stark." Tony gave a small wave before Charlie and Cohan got into the elevator. The doors shut and they took the elevator to the next floor as instructed.

"Chuck?" Cohan said from beside her. Charlie's eyebrows furrowed and she glanced at him.

"What?"

"That's what Stark called you. Do you two have a thing going on or something?" Charlie's jaw dropped slightly and she turned her whole body to face him.

"Excuse me?" This guy was really starting to get on her nerves. He turned his head to look at her.

"Does Barton know you're hitting it up with the billionaire playboy philanthropist?" The elevator doors opened before Charlie had a chance to say anything. Charlie turned from him and walked out of the elevator.

"Right this way Miss." Jarvis' voice said. Charlie followed it not waiting to see if Cohan was behind her or not.

"It's okay though." Cohan's voice said from next to her. He had caught up after all.

"What is?" She said with agitation in her voice.

"You being with two guys at once." Charlie stopped walking and sneered at him.

"I _never _said that." Cohan looked at her with a smirk on his face. He continued talking as if she never said anything.

"I mean, god knows how many times Barton and his partner Natasha Romanoff have hooked up."

"Okay, seriously man. What are you trying to accomplish here?" Charlie's hands balled into fists by her sides. He shrugged.

"Nothing. Just trying to get the facts straight. So what _is_ going on between you and Barton?"

"None of your goddamn business. I don't know what you have against Clint but leave me out of it." Charlie said storming past him.

"Miss Anderson. Your room is at the end of the hall and to the right." Jarvis said.

"Thanks." Charlie muttered. Charlie got to the room and reached for the doorknob. A hand grabbed her wrist and she wrenched it free.

"Is it like a friends with benefits kind of thing?" Cohan asked leaned his shoulder against the wall. Charlie couldn't contain herself anymore. Charlie brought her hand up and slapped the agent across the face.

"If prying into someone's personal life is a way to get into their pants, I suggest revising your strategy." Charlie opened the door and slammed it shut. She locked the door and leaned her back against it. "Jesus." She said quietly to herself. Charlie stood there trying to process what had just happened for a couple more minutes and then pushed off from the door. As she walked into the room, the lights automatically turned on. The room was big and spacious. It was set up like a presidential suite in a hotel: an amazing view, huge bed, kitchenette and an even bigger bathroom. On her bed was a duffel bag filled with her clothing. Charlie threw the bag on the floor by the bathroom door. It was too late to unpack. Charlie stripped off her sweatshirt and undershirt. She stayed in her sports bra and yoga pants as she dug herself underneath the covers of the _very_ comfortable bed. She could get used to living here.

Now, if only she had someone to share it with.


	17. Chapter 17

**_Chaaaapter 17!_**

**_Comments: I updated pretty soon this time! I'm so proud of myself. Anyways, this chapter is short and a bit on the m__elancholy side. I know I promised last chapter that this chapter would be better but... I lied. It's actaully NEXT chapter that will be better. Haha. I also found out you can put those really cool divider line thingys into your story! Now I dont have to use the asterisks anymore! Its an evolution!_**

**_Shout outs: miller330, ita-chan01, archangelavyn05 and brittany for your reviews!_**

Charlie pried her eyes open slowly. The room was dark and she blinked a couple of times so that her eyes would adjust. She was lying on her stomach with her limbs splayed all over the bed. Her head rested on the comfy pillow as she stared at the wall. It was so dark in the room that Charlie was beginning to think it was still night. She looked at the bedside table but there was no clock. Charlie sighed quietly. Still lying on her stomach, she propped herself up on her elbows and said into the air;

"Jarvis? What time is it?" Suddenly, dim light flooded the room as the windows became un-tinted and lights in the room turned on. Jarvis' voice responded to her.

"Good morning, Miss Anderson. It is ten forty-five A.M. Temperature is fifty-six degrees with rain showers all day. Chance of thunderstorms is sixty percent." Charlie looked over at the window and saw the dark clouds that sprinkled rain to the ground below. "Would you like me to start brewing some coffee for you?" Charlie smiled.

"Sure. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Miss." Charlie heard the coffee pot begin to crackle over in the kitchenette. Charlie sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Right away Charlie noticed how cold it was in the room, or maybe it was because she was only wearing her sports bra, and goose bumps ran up her arms.

"Jarvis. Is it possible to get you to turn up the heat in here?"

"Of course." Charlie sat on the bed for another minute and felt the room become warmer.

"Ahh, nice and toasty." Charlie stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Her eyes started to sting and she blinked several times in a row. "What the…" then she remembered she didn't take her contacts out before she went to bed. "Shit!" She exclaimed before running to the bathroom. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She burst through the bathroom doorway and headed to the mirror.

She stopped in front of the mirror and saw her eyes were all red. "Awe hell." Charlie reached up and took each of the contacts out of her watery eyes. She didn't bother to save them as she threw them into the sink and flushed them down the drain with water. She splashed some water into her eyes to help relieve the sting. She looked up and stared through blurry vision at her red, irritated eyes. "Great. Just what I need."

"Miss Anderson. Mr. Stark asks that you see him right away." Charlie sighed and nodded but then remembered Jarvis could not see her.

"I'll just be a minute." Charlie squinted her eyes so that she could see a little bit better and made her way back into the bedroom. She walked over her duffel bag and sat on the floor next to it. She dug through the bag until she found her glasses and put them on. Then she picked out a grey off-the-shoulder knitted sweater and white wash ripped skinny jeans. Charlie stood up and put her left leg in her jeans, then her right, she wiggled a little and then jumped. She buttoned her pants and then replaced her sports bra for a normal one and then put her sweater on. Charlie let her curly hair out of her bun and the thick mass fell over her shoulders. Her hair had gotten so long and she desperately needed a haircut. But that was at the end of her very long list of things to do.

As soon as Charlie walked into the kitchenette, the aroma of fresh coffee hit her. She looked for a mug and once she found one, she filled it with the black liquid. She added some cream and sugar to it and took a sip to make sure it tasted right. Charlie put on her grey converse, grabbed her coffee mug and left to go find Stark. She got to the elevator and Jarvis told her what floor and what room she needed to go to.

She reached the room and Charlie walked into a huge lab area. The room was circular with white walls and it had very modernized feel to it. There were high tech computers and machines in the room. In the middle was a round conference table. Charlie walked over to the table and set her coffee mug down on it. Charlie looked around the room again, taking in the impressive technology.

"I hope that you slept well last night." Charlie turned around and saw Stark walking over to the table.

"Yeah, I did actually." But when Stark saw her blood shot eyes he looked like he didn't believe her. She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't ask."

"Wasn't going to." He motioned for her to sit and she did. Charlie picked up her mug and took a sip. "Now, I was told that Gaby's son had a little present for you the other night." He said as he sat down. On impulse, Charlie reached up and touched her neck.

"Yeah. Uh, he said it was some kind of serum infused with vibranium and adamantium. Which is what Fury told me Cap's shield is made out of… and it's the only thing that I can't go through." Tony rubbed his chin.

"Did it work?" Curiosity filled his voice. Charlie opened her mouth to respond but someone spoke before her.

"There you are." Charlie and Tony looked over to the door and saw Agent Cohan striding over to them. He wore a confidence that irked Charlie. "I went to your room but you weren't there." He must have noticed her eyes because he made a face. "What happened to you?" Charlie glared at him.

"Nothing _happened_. Just go away."

"I can see there is no love lost between you two." Stark interjected. Cohan just smiled and took the seat next to Charlie. She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him.

"To answer your question, yes it did work. I couldn't make myself immaterial no matter how hard I tried."

"Interesting. Well, I'm going to need a blood sample if you don't mind."

"It's been two days though. Do you really think there might still be traces of it?"

"Depending on what else was in the serum, it could still be yes."

"But if it was, would I be able to do this?" Charlie turned in her chair and shot her arm out towards Cohan's chest. Unfortunately, instead of going through it like she thought it would, her hand just smacked his chest. Charlie gaped at her hand.

"Ouch." Cohan said sarcastically.

"There's your answer." Stark said from behind her. Charlie furrowed her brows and turned around in her chair to face Stark again.

"Alright. You can do the blood test. But I have to ask, how much are you going to take?"

* * *

"'Just a little bit' my ass." Charlie said to herself as she walked back to her room. She rubbed the crook of her arm where the needle had been. Stark had ended up taking four test tubes of blood. Cohan merely made fun of Charlie for being such a wimp. She had always hated needles.

Cohan had tried to follow her back to her room but she, well, let's just say she changed his mind very quickly. But she unfortunately didn't get the last word before she walked away.

Charlie got back to her room and set her coffee mug in the sink. She went into her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed and stared out the window. It was still raining and the clouds were the same shade of grey they had been this morning. Charlie couldn't help but wonder where Clint was. What kind of mission was he on? Who was the target?

These were questions she would probably never get answers to. Charlie sighed and she was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. She took off her glasses and put them on the bedside table. Kicking off her shoes, Charlie fell back onto the bed but kept her head turned so the she could still look out the window. There was something peaceful about the rain.

But there was also something menacing about it. There was a saying from a movie that Charlie remembered: "A little rain never hurt anybody but a lot can kill you." Rainy days always made Charlie think back to her parents' funeral. She shook her head to get rid of the unwanted images. Charlie felt her eyelids get heavier. Soon her fatigue was too strong to fight anymore, so she closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

_Ever have to bury both your parents on the same day? I did. I remember that day like any other but not in a good way. It was a dark, cold, rainy day. Why is it always raining on funerals? Isn't it kind of stereotypical? Anyways, black umbrellas surrounded the two coffins. I stood next to my Aunt with her arm draped over my shoulder. For some reason, I didn't cry at all. Don't get me wrong, I was a wreck. But I felt like I had shed too many tears already. There were none left to shed that day. And I reminded myself that I needed to be strong._

_The priest said the last words of his eulogy. I placed a rose on each of my parent's coffins before they began to lower into the ground. After, everyone took turns throwing a handful of dirt into the deep ground. I was the last to do so. I bent down and picked up some of the wet dirt. I kissed the back of my hand before sprinkling the dirt down onto the coffins. _

_I remember looking over at my brothers grave which was now right next to my parents. Then I looked up past his gravestone and into the distance. There was a man. He was dressed in black like everyone else. He stood underneath a willow tree with no umbrella. He was staring at all of us. Not all of us. Me. He was staring at me._

_I tugged on my Aunts sleeve and looked away for a second. I asked her who that man was but when I looked back, he was gone. My Aunt thought that I had been imagining things. But I know I wasn't. He was there. He was real._

* * *

Charlie woke with a gasp. Her eyes opened too fast and her head began to spin. Charlie brought a hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes. She looked over at the window. The rain had stopped and a slight fog had settled over New York. The lights were off in the room, courtesy of Jarvis. Charlie moved slightly and felt something draped around her waist. She turned her head to look over her shoulder.

Someone lay beside her and she could tell by the way they were breathing, they were very much asleep. Charlie tried not to move too much as she reached over to the table and got her glasses. She put them on and looked over at the person again. She smiled.

Barton lay beside her and she could tell he'd been there for a while. He must have gotten back from his mission while she had been asleep. And he came here. Not anywhere else. Here. Charlie smiled to herself again.

She didn't want to wake him because even though he was sleeping, he looked beat. Charlie took her glasses off and set them back down on the table. She rested her head back on the pillow and scooted closer to him. She placed her own arm overtop of his and closed her eyes.

But when she closed her eyes, she saw that man again. The man that stood in the distance at the funeral. The man who was staring at her. The man she most definitely didn't imagine. Charlie slowly opened her eyes and she felt her heart rate quicken. A flash of lightning flooded the room with light, followed by the low rumble of thunder. Realization hit her.

The man was Gabriel.


End file.
